Dusk
by Th Ghst f Slss Frnc
Summary: After years of relative peace, a new darkness has fallen over the Clans--a murderer is stalking their cats. Who will survive this new crisis unscathed....? OCs mostly used. Set after OOTS. Disclaimer: I don't own Warriors.
1. Allegiances

_A/N: __Hello people of the world! This is my first Warriors Fanfic to be published, but don't worry—I worked hard on it and got people to read over it, betaread it, before I decided to publish it. So, there shouldn't be many mistakes—if any—just remember we're human, okay? _

_The plot is pretty simple right now, since I don't have much of one. LOL. Basically, this Fanfic is based after OOTS (Omen of the Stars) which I haven't gotten to read yet, sadly enough, but it's quite a bit after that so all of the cats in it have passed on to StarClan and only live in the memories of the still living cats—the tales of elders and dreams of Medicine Cats and Leaders. Got it? Good. Now, on with the Fanfic!_

_P.S. All names of the cats you find should follow the Warriors books pretty well, since I'm sort of OCD about that. I like the names to be original—but follow the books. I also tried to keep the description of the camps and territories as close to the descriptions on the warriorcats website, but just send me a PM or concrit-filled review if you noticed a mistake._

**_ADDED ON NOTE: The Prologue is based in StarClan, like a normal Warriors book. The first few chapters after the Prologue are mostly the set-up and MIGHT be a little boring because it isn't too personal. Once you get to RiverClan's chapter #2 or ShadowClan's chapter #2, things will pick up a little and you'll start to notice who exactly the mian characters will be--more or less._**

* * *

**ALLEGIANCES**

**THUNDERCLAN**

LEADER

**ASHSTAR--**thick-pelted gray tom with amber eyes

DEPUTY

**LIONFUR--**golden brown tabby tom with white paws

MEDICINE CAT

**MOONWING--**very pale gray she-cat

WARRIORS (toms, and she-cats without kits)

**WEEDSTEM--**gray tabby long-furred tom

**APPRENTICE, THRUSHPAW**

**THUNDERSTEP--**large white tom

**RAGGEDFUR--**dark brown tabby long-furred tom

**HAWKTALON--**light brown tom

**APPRENTICE, LEAFPAW**

**TIGERLEAP--**dark brown tabby tom

**APPRENTICE, MILKPAW**

**MOUSEWHISKER--**light gray she-cat with unusual blue eyes

**APPRENTICE, SNOWPAW**

**SPARROWSPOTS--**light tortoiseshell she-cat

**APPRENTICE, FOXPAW**

APPRENTICES (more than six moons old, in training to be Warriors)

**THRUSHPAW--**brown tabby tom with white paws

**LEAFPAW--**brown tabby she-cat with amber eyes

**SNOWPAW--**small white she-cat

**MILKPAW--**cream-colored long-furred she-cat

**FOXPAW--**reddish tabby tom

QUEENS (she-cats expecting or nursing kits)

**HONEYLEG--**dark tortoiseshell she-cat

ELDERS

**SPARROWSONG--**once-pretty, dappled sandy-gray she-cat

* * *

**SHADOWCLAN**

LEADER:

**THORNSTAR--**broad-shouldered black tom

DEPUTY:

**FROSTFANG--**pale gray tom with blue eyes

MEDICINE CAT:

**SHADESPRING--**dark gray tabby she-cat

WARRIORS (toms, and she-cats without kits)

**TALONHEART--**dark brown tabby tom

**APPRENTICE, BLACKPAW**

**DUSTSTRIPE--**pale tabby tom

**APPRENTICE, MOUSEPAW**

**WHITEFALL--**white she-cat

**APPRENTICE, PATCHPAW**

**VOLEFUR--**dark brown tom

**APPRENTICE, SCORCHPAW**

**TIGERPELT--**brown tabby tom

**APPRENTICE, DUSKPAW**

**FIREFANG--**pale ginger she-cat

**MOSSCLAW--**mottled gray tom

**APPRENTICE, RUSSETPAW**

APPRENTICES (more than six moons old, in training to be Warriors)

**MOUSEPAW--**light dusky brown she-cat

**DUSKPAW--**dark brown she-cat with a white flash on her chest

**SCORCHPAW--**dark ginger tom

**RUSSETPAW--**tortoiseshell she-cat

**BLACKPAW--**large smoky black tom

**PATCHPAW--**white-and-black tom

QUEENS (she-cats expecting or nursing kits)

**MOTHFLIGHT--**light brown queen, mother of Frostfang's kits: Sootkit, smoky gray tom, and Hollykit, black she-cat

**SHADOWSHINE--**black she-cat

ELDERS:

**FOXHEART--**bright ginger she-cat with amber eyes, retired early due to battle injuries

**LOSTFANG--**very dark gray tom with lighter gray legs, former Medicine Cat

* * *

**WINDCLAN**

LEADER

**SILVERSTAR--**long-legged silvery-gray she-cat with piercing blue eyes

**APPRENTICE, HAREPAW**

DEPUTY

**WHITEFROST--**large pure-white she-cat with blue eyes

**APPRENTICE, RAVENPAW**

MEDICINE CAT

**PETALFUR--**pale ginger she-cat with bright green eyes

WARRIORS (toms, and she-cats without kits)

**DARKPELT--**black she-cat

**APPRENTICE, POPPYPAW**

**KESTRELFEATHER--**light gray tom with darker flecks and green eyes

**APPRENTICE, WILLOWPAW**

**RAINPOOL--**silvery-gray tom

**APPRENTICE, ASHPAW**

**RUNNINGSHADOW--**small dark gray tom

**APPRENTICE, DAWNPAW**

**SPECKLEFACE--**light tortoiseshell she-cat

**APPRENTICE, SANDPAW**

**SMOKESPOTS--**black tabby tom

APPRENTICES (more than six moons old, in training to be Warriors)

**SANDPAW--**pale ginger she-cat with tabby-striped tail

**POPPYPAW--**long-legged dark ginger she-cat

**HAREPAW--**light brown tom

**DAWNPAW--**golden brown she-cat

**WILLOWPAW--**pale mottled gray she-cat

**ASHPAW--**light gray tabby tom

**RAVENPAW--**black tom

QUEENS (she-cats expecting or nursing kits)

**CLOUDFROST--**pale gray she-cat

ELDERS:

**LONGSTEP--**ginger tom with a white belly

* * *

**RIVERCLAN**

LEADER

**GRAYSTAR--**pale gray tabby she-cat with a silver tinged muzzle

DEPUTY

**LEOPARDCLAW--**mottled light brown tom

**APPRENTICE, SOOTPAW**

MEDICINE CAT

**PEBBLESTREAM--**dusky gray she-cat

**APPRENTICE, SKYPAW**

WARRIORS (toms, and she-cats without kits)

**BLACKSPOTS--**black-and-white tom

**GRAYSTORM--**very dark gray tom

**APPRENTICE, WATERPAW**

**SWIFTSTREAM--**silvery gray she-cat with darker flecks and green eyes

**STONECLAW--**pale brown tabby tom

APPRENTICES (more than six moons old, in training to be Warriors)

**SKYPAW--**very light gray tom with pale blue eyes

**WATERPAW--**small silvery she-cat

**SOOTPAW--**black tom with amber eyes

QUEENS (she-cats expecting or nursing kits)

**MISTYPELT--**light gray tabby queen with a large white mark on her forehead, mother of Leopardclaw's kits: Reedkit, golden brown tom, and Grasskit, light brown she-cat

ELDERS

**RIVERWILLOW--**sandy-colored she-cat, retired queen

* * *

_A/N: The next chapter will have the prologue, okay? Bear with me…._


	2. PrologueDusk

_A/N: Disclaimer: I don't own Warriors, Erin Hunter does. Think about it, otherwise this would be the arc after OOTS. I would like to thank anyone who read this in advance and said it was good enough to be posted on here. I'd list all the names, but who hates long A/Ns? Lots of people. So, go ahead and read…._

Prologue--Dusk

A gray-striped tail flicked delicately, as a long-legged cat stepped out of the growing shadows.

She padded past a stand of hemlocks, heading towards a simple stream--clear and fast running.

"Hello, Fernpaw. What brings you here?" Bluestar asked the Warrior.

Fernpaw was a much older she-cat, a kit when Thunderstar was in power, but she wasn't a Leader, or even a Warrior, ever, so she dipped her head in respect for Bluestar--even if that respect was grudgingly given.

"Bad news." the sarcastic she-cat replied, her tail twitching again. "Firestar is coming, isn't he? I told him to come." she snapped.

"Of course." Bluestar said curtly. Fernpaw annoyed her. She couldn't help but think of her as an unruly Apprentice.

"Good." Fernpaw said.

She then sat down and curled her whip-like tail around her paws. She looked like a WindClan cat, but she was a ThunderClan cat, anyway. Bluestar guessed on the fact she was Half-Clan.

"Sunstar is coming, too," Fernpaw added quietly, and Bluestar winced a little, "maybe."

Bluestar looked up, at the sound of a rustle from high on the hill.

Soon a tom with a flame-colored pelt, Firestar, was padding down the slope. Sandstorm, his infamous mate, was at his side.

Fernpaw bowed her head, true respect in her eyes as they padded down the hill.

Soon, Leopardstar also came, alone, her golden tabby pelt stark against the lush greenery.

"Good evening." she said curtly, but her voice was soft.

"So, what brings us all together?" Firestar asked curiously.

"I could ask the same question." Bluestar stated, sounding somewhat annoyed. "I mean, why are we all gathered here?" Bluestar asked harshly. "Nothing as gone wrong other than petty squabbles in a generation or two." she explained.

"Well, other than the fact there is a murderer stalking the Clans, nothing is wrong." Fernpaw said sardonically, as Firestar's bright green eyes widened in shock and Leopardstar's neck fur bristled.

"What do you mean?" Leopardstar asked, her intense eyes narrowing.

"I meant what I said. There is a problem arising--something that even I can't see clearly. Maybe another cat here has. I don't know. All I see is blood spilling from the bodies of cats--again and again and again. It's horrible." Fernpaw explained quietly, shaking her head slowly, her shoulders shifting with the movement.

"I imagine so." Sandstorm meowed gently, her eyes soft. She'd grown more and more calm and gentle the longer she had been here.

Her days as a feisty, stubborn Apprentice were spent.

"Did you see anything else? Anything that might point to the cause of the deaths? For all we know it could be a dog pack, badgers, foxes, two-legs, anything!" Firestar exclaimed, his fur still ruffled.

"Maybe. But, when I first had the dream I saw a cat's paw, claws extended, soaked in blood, right before I woke up." Fernpaw mewed softly.

There was complete silence in the clearing at that, for a few moments at least.

Bluestar let out a troubled sigh and her blue eyes were bright with worry. "I'm sorry Fernpaw." she meowed simply.

"It's all right." Fernpaw mewed in response, staring at her mouse-gray paws.

"Okay, I don't know about you, but I think we should figure out something to do about this instead of sitting around and telling each other how we feel." Leopardstar spat.

Everyone's heads jerked up and they stared at her, rather stunned.

"What? It's the truth." she meowed curtly.

"Well, then. What do you suppose we do?" Firestar asked softly.

"We should get Tallstar and Onestar, and tell them about this. Along with Nightstar and Blackstar." Leopardstar meowed simply. "At least." she added.

"Why?" Sandstorm asked curiously, her head tilted to the side.

"So all of the Clans are informed of this vision that Fernpaw and a few others--Spottedleaf and Barkface for example--keep having." Leopardstar meowed calmly.

"True." Firestar stated, nodding his head quickly.

"I suppose we will have to tell a few cats, living cats, in the Clans, too." Bluestar mewed, a certain amount of dread in her voice.

Obviously, her past mistakes were still catching up with her.

"Yes, but TRUSTED cats." Leopardstar said, giving Bluestar a pointed look.

"Enough you two, I believe Bluestar knows how her choice in Hollyleaf was bad. You don't need to rub it in." Firestar said, intervening.

Fernpaw nodded. "Maybe it'll come to us which ones to choose. But, we should choose quickly. Before something happens." the young-looking she-cat stated, her green eyes flashing in the dim light.

_A/N: Please read and review. You don't HAVE to review, of course, but I love reviews—and the reviewers that left them. I accept anonymous reviews, too, so don't worry about that. If you have an idea for the Fanfic please leave me a PM. I'd love to hear your ideas—and know who you'd like to die in the story. *cackles evilly* Think about it—if you don't say who you'd like to live, your favorite character might die._


	3. Chapter 1: River

_A/N: Yo, people of the world! I have a lot written up already so I'm going to go ahead and give you the first two chapters without any reviews! Isn't that great? Oh, well. Maybe it's just me thinking that. LOL. And there you see, is the return of chatspeak…._

_Disclaimer: I own nothing. Nada. Zip. Erin Hunter owns Warriors—or, well, the four women that wrote the wonderful series. _

_P.S. I'm trying out "Normal" instead of "No Spacing", tell me which looks better to you, if you would._

Chapter 1: River

Stoneclaw leapt across the stream onto a smooth rock, his claws flexing out and his muscles stretching under his thick pelt.

He was following Leopardclaw, who was leading the border patrol. They were making sure the border was freshly marked, since WindClan seemed to be constantly trying to take their territory--a little bit of it at least, but it was enough to be worried about.

He looked down into the somewhat deep water, its surface murky from debris from the hard Leaf-Bare rain. He saw a flash of silver and sent his paw into the water, trying to catch the fish, but it was too fast for him and he only managed to get icy cold water splashed up his chest.

Swiftstream chuckled at his performance, her green eyes bright and shining in the sunlight. She nimbly leapt onto another rock and bounded again, landing on the unstable bank of the stream. "Come along then, Stoneclaw." she meowed boldly, looking back over her shoulder.

He stopped gawking at her and jumped across, too. She really was a beautiful she-cat, though, with her glossy light gray fur that shone silver in the light of the moon and lithe built. She had plenty of toms padding after her and sadly enough he was one of them. He was obsessed, basically, but he knew he was pathetic.

Up ahead, Leopardclaw and his unruly Apprentice, Sootpaw, were already marking the border. Swiftstream came up, too, and marked the border farther ahead. He looked back, trying to find Blackspots, a young Warrior who had come along, too. But, for some reason he couldn't find him.

He felt his heart stop in his chest, feeling oddly frantic for some reason. He looked around, panicked, at the scenery, but all he could see was the deep stream and the moor on the other side of the border. Where was Blackspots....?

"Hey, Leopardclaw!" Stoneclaw called out, his meow carrying.

"What is it?" Leopardclaw responded, looking back at him with slight annoyance. He knew he just wanted to get back to his mate, Mistypelt, and their kits, though.

"I can't find Blackspots. I can't see him anywhere." he meowed loudly. Swiftstream's brow furrowed, giving her a worried (but cute) look.

"Well, go sniff him out." Sootpaw said coolly. Oh. Good idea. That had been sort of obvious.

"I'm going to go and try to find him. I'll meet you back here." Stoneclaw said hurriedly, and he dipped his head to Leopardclaw before racing off, following Blackspots' stale scent to the stream.

***

Blackspots had just been about to leapt across the stream, following the others, when he scented an odd smell. He didn't think to call out that he was going to check something out, he just did. He realized the smell was that of a rogue pretty soon. It was the smell of a cat, but it didn't fit any of the scents he recognized as Clan smells.

His nose wrinkled in disgust as he grew closer to the loner, his pelt bristling a little bit as he padded through a stretch of tall weeds. He was near the stream again, as he could tell by the cat's tails and reeds growing to his right.

Suddenly, he heard a faint rustle and he tensed, fear suddenly driving into his heart. Maybe he shouldn't have come alone....

He didn't think anything else before a huge weight rammed into his left side, sending him slipping into the dark water....

***

Stoneclaw padded through a bunch of dense reeds, his paws sinking into cold mud. He smelled Blackspot strongly....and another scent. Something he couldn't quite figure out. He neared the spot where the smell was coming from and stopped dead in his tracks suddenly. He smelled....BLOOD. Fresh blood, blood that had just been spilled....

He raced forward and saw Blackspots deadlocked with another cat. They were both snarling and spitting, but Blackspots was bleeding heavier than the other cat, obviously--his black-and-white pelt stained crimson.

He went forward quickly, rushing hastily, and leapt between the two, breaking them apart. The other cat jumped back a fox-length, but he wasn't paying attention to that cat anymore. He could tell by the way Blackspots was almost sagging to the ground that he needed to go to the Medicine Cat, immediately. By the time he was done making sure he wasn't dying right in front of him, the other cat was gone.

Just….gone. Even the scent was fading away....

"Thanks." Blackspots panted. He stumbled forward a step and almost fell. He rushed quickly and let him lean on him. Blackspots gave him a thankful look and closed his eyes for a minute.

"You okay?" Stoneclaw asked worriedly.

"Yeah, I just....need to visit the Medicine Cat." Blackspots mewed briefly, blood running down his nose from a nasty cut.

"Yes, you do. Come on, I'll get you back." Stoneclaw meowed hurriedly and started padding forward, Blackspots still leaning heavily against him.

_***_

Swiftstream had just finished up helping to mark the border when she turned around, ready to head back, and was shocked at the sight of Stoneclaw with a bloodied up Blackspots leaning against him, barely stumbling forward, with a new tear in his ear and several gashes along his side.

"What happened?!" she asked frantically, running to Stoneclaw's side. Soon, Leopardclaw followed suit, just slower.

"There's no time. We need to go back, NOW. He's losing blood fast." Stoneclaw said calmly, but there was panic clear in his eyes.

"Of course." Leopardclaw said, and he helped support Blackspots, too. She took up the rear, watching out for whatever had attacked Blackspots so brutally and viciously.

She nudged Sootpaw ahead, making sure he didn't fall behind. She didn't want him being attacked by something that could hurt a strong, young Warrior like Blackspots.

***

Pebblestream looked up from where she was sorting herbs to find Skypaw standing in the way of her den, eyes wide with fear and panting a little. "What's wrong?" she asked him hastily, dropping what she was doing (not literally) and rushing to his side.

"Blackspots was attacked by a rogue! I went out to get the marigold like you told me and saw them. I ran back to tell you to get things ready." Skypaw replied hurriedly. I nodded slowly.

"Okay, pick up that marigold off the floor and put away what we won't need. Grab some snakeroot and some cobwebs, too." she said quickly. Skypaw nodded and trotted off quickly to do as she said.

Soon, Leopardclaw and Stoneclaw came in, almost dragging a half awake Blackspots in.

She almost gasped. His wounds were extensive and pretty bad. She quickly went over and shooed them out, as well as Swiftstream--who was hovering near the entrance to her den.

"Skypaw, chew up some of that marigold and put it on the minor wounds." Pebblestream said curtly, then set about chewing up the snakeroot. Snakeroot was better at keeping wounds from being infected....so it would go on the worst wounds.

"Go get some moss and soak it in water." Leopardclaw whispered to his Apprentice, Sootpaw, and the slight black tom bounded away to help with that without a complaint....

_*** _

"How is he doing? Blackspots, I mean." Swiftstream asked Skypaw, her eyes wide and somewhat innocent looking. Skypaw was grooming himself outside of the Medicine Cat Den--obviously, he was trying to get the dried blood out of his silvery-colored fur. She almost shuddered. She was fine with battle and hunting, but the healing part disturbed her a little.

"He's going to be fine in a few moonhighs. But, he probably won't be able to go to the Gathering." Skypaw said with certainty. She wondered how a seven moon old tom could already know so much. Medicine Cats were just special.

"But, he'll be lonesome until he's back to his old self, so I suggest visiting him." Skypaw added, in a more friendly tone, before padding off towards the Fresh-kill Pile. Swiftstream nodded, but he'd already gone. She decided to go ahead and pad over to the Warriors' Den, to sleep. She wasn't going to be on the dawn patrol, thankfully, so she could sleep a while. She needed that....

***

Leopardclaw was still awake at moonhigh, watching his mate--who was already asleep, tired out--and his young kits, who were wriggling a little in their peaceful sleep. They'd only been born about half a moon ago, so they were still small and couldn't do much as far as playing goes, but they could open their eyes at this point.

He was worried about Mistypelt, and their three kits, frankly. He knew Blackspots had been attacked by a rogue, fox dung, everyone knew that! But, what if that rogue followed their smell back to camp and raided the nursery? He blinked and let out a small, stressed sigh. He was so worried.

"Honey, what are you doing in here?" Mistypelt asked him, looking up at him, bleary-eyed.

"Just checking in on you, go back to sleep." he meowed gently, before nuzzling her cheek. She let out a soft purr deep in her throat and settled back down into a restless sleep.

He figured he'd sleep in here with her, just because. And....he was still worried. He wasn't losing his mate, or kits, to a crow-food-eating rogue.


	4. Chapter 2: Wind

A/N: Chapter 2 takes place in WindClan, if you didn't realize by the chapter name. It's around the same time as the first chapter, just from a different Clans perspective. I'm doing the reverse of the allegiances—RiverClan, WindClan, ShadowClan, and ThunderClan. It's a challenge. Especially since all the Warriors books were written from ThunderClan's perspective.

Disclaimer: I don't own Warriors. I don't own the Manga or Seekers, either.

P.S. Hey, people! If you're reading this, thanks a lot! Seriously, I'm so excited to finally have a fanfiction account so I can post my fanfics that I've been working on and have people send me reviews and PMs—telling me what's good or bad, and how to improve my work. So, yeah. Thank you.

P.P.S. Anyone who reviews should be thanked (tell me if I missed you, but since I don't expect many reviews I should remember you) and might get a sneak peek of the next chapters. Just FYI. Yes, I do use bribery to get reviews. That's because I'm just fawesome like that.

Chapter 2: Wind

Petalfur jerked awake in her den. Her fur was ruffled and bristling and her eyes were wide with fear. She panted heavily, her breath coming out ragged, and looked around her den. Water drips were falling at a steady pace from the dew that built up in the bramble twisted above her head and into a shallow, rocky pool in a dip in the earth and her herb store was neatly arranged on the dry, hard-packed earth a fox-length deeper into the shadows to the right of the pool, closer to her.

She shifted awkwardly in her soft moss nest and sighed, before laying her head on her ginger paws. She's had this dream over and over and over for the last half-moon--that of cats dying, different cats each time but never clear enough to be seen, only heard. The pain filled yowls and pathetic whimpers had been enough to drive the young Medicine Cat crazy, knowing she could do nothing was torture. She knew it was a vision from StarClan (or, she guessed at least) because it was much more vivid than any other dream she had ever had.

She wished that she wasn't the Medicine Cat, sometimes, but the medicine Cat Apprentice. She was only barely thirteen moons old and her mentor had died young--from green cough that she hadn't been able to cure.  
Slowly, her eyes drooped shut as the wild rush from the nightmare calmed down and she fell asleep, she was worried, sure, but all the emotion was making her tired--too tired to stay awake, at least.  
She'd tell Silverstar about the dream when she woke up, once the sun was up in the sky at least.

***

"Petalfur?" a muted voice asked her, breaking her out of her better dreams. They hadn't been visions; at least she hadn't thought so. She's just been in an open clearing, with a running stream and colorful wild flowers. Almost like the heather moor of WindClan's territory....

She shook her head a little and opened her eyes to see Rainpool, Silverstar's littermate, with his face shadowed but his silvery pelt washed-out by the dawn light.

"Hey," she meowed quietly, her green eyes brightening at the sight of a healthy, strong tom and not the dying cats of her dreams. Plus, she was safely tucked away in the dusty, earthy-smelling Medicine Cat Den.

"Well, see, my Apprentice Ashpaw got a burr in his nest and has some scrapes on his muzzle but is too proud to come in here, willingly," Rainpool explained. "Could you maybe convince him to get it cleaned up? I don't want the scratches getting infected." Rainpool asked sheepishly, his amber eyes displaying his embarrassment.

"Sure." she meowed brightly, and she slowly got to her paws. Rainpool gave her a thankful look, and then padded outside. She quickly stumbled sleepily after him, her tail twitching behind her.

The camp was mainly deserted. Okay, completely deserted. Obviously the dawn patrol had already left, and Rainpool and she (and possibly Ashpaw) were the only cats awake and out in camp at the moment.

Oh, wait, no. There was Runningshadow at the entrance and exit of camp, guarding. She smiled shyly at the tom and then just dashed into the Apprentice Den. Toms made her nervous--maybe that was because they were always padding after her when she was a MEDICINE CAT. They should know better....

"Hey, Rainpool? Is Silverstar in camp?" she asked curiously, as she padded over quietly to Ashpaw, who was curled up in his nest, eyeing her and Rainpool shamelessly.

"No. She went out on the dawn patrol with Harepaw, Smokespots, Darkpelt, and Poppypaw." Rainpool replied curtly, glancing down at Ashpaw when he talked.

"Hi, Petalfur," Ashpaw mewed politely. "I guess Rainpool was being paranoid again and wanted you to clean off my TINY scratches?" he asked dryly, his true sardonic side showing through slightly.

"Even a small scrape can get infected. You wouldn't be able to train if you had an infected wound." Petalfur said rationally.

Ashpaw's eyes widened a fraction. "I wouldn't be able to hunt? Or be taught battle moves?" the young Apprentice asked in shock.

"Nope," she meowed quickly in response, "which is why you should come and let me fix you up," she added.

Ashpaw nodded and got to his paws, momentarily he shook the moss scraps out of his pelt, and then he padded off, heading quickly across the slanted ground and to the Medicine Cat Den--almost completely silent.

"Wow," Rainpool meowed, sounding surprised. "How'd you do that?" he asked her curiously.

"I just told him the truth," she mewed, uncertain about what he was asking, and shrugged her shoulders briefly, before following Ashpaw. She was careful not to step onto one of the other Apprentices' paws or tails.

"Yeah, but he hardly ever listens to me. If he does listen, he doesn't do as I tell him." Rainpool meowed quietly, stepping over the edge of a moss nest.

"Maybe he respects me more," she meowed in response, a teasing note to her voice. Then, she blinked and remembered the horrible dream from last night, all of the sudden and without reason.

"Petalfur?! You okay?" Rainpool asked her frantically.

"Huh?" she asked, her vision snapping back into focus. They were now at the shaded entrance to the Medicine Cat Den.

"I was talking to you, but you weren't responding," Rainpool meowed softly, a worried look on his face.

"I'm fine," she said briskly, and then she dodged into her den to take care of Ashpaw.

***

Poppypaw was stalking a mouse, a rare kind of prey to find in WindClan territory—of course, they were near the ThunderClan border.

She crept up slowly on the mouse, keeping downwind of it. She'd never been taught how to catch mice, though, so she wasn't surprised when it bolted away, back into its nearby burrow. She sighed quietly, upset with herself a little for not catching the mouse, and then decided she should probably catch up with the patrol. She looked around, but the tall grass and dense heather obstructed her view.

"Hello?" she asked loudly, no one responded but a sparrow took to the air in fright. She sighed again, louder this time, and quickly followed the scent of her Clanmates. She weaved through the dense heather, trying to avoid the peaty spots that were damp and muddy from the snow melting from another warmer few days of Leaf-Bare.

Then, Poppypaw froze on the spot, fear coursing through her veins and her eyes getting bigger. "Oh, great StarClan," she mewed softly, her eyes glazing over a little. Before her was a loner--a chunky, dark brown tabby tom--that had been ripped to shreds, almost literally. Teeth marks were clear and showed repeatedly along his thick neck and his sides and shoulders were clawed at and slashed. Dark red blood stained the dry earth and scruffy plants everywhere. "DARKPELT!" she yowled loudly, nearly in hysterics at this point.

***

Darkpelt flinched, hearing Poppypaw's strangled cry. The she-cat was nervous by nature, and too easily scared for her taste. She was the example of what most toms thought of she-cats as, in her opinion. Luckily, Silverstar had proved everyone wrong by being made Deputy and becoming Leader after Mallowstar died.

"I'll go check it out. It's probably nothing." she grumbled to Silverstar herself, and started padding towards the sound.

They were very close to the RiverClan border, marking it carefully to make sure none of those RiverClan fish faces had been trying to steal their territory. The border already stunk with constant marking. Truth be told, WindClan was almost starving. They were so desperate they had begun fishing out of the Lake in hunger. Not that they'd be telling anyone that at the Gatherings.

***

Darkpelt followed Poppypaw's scent, through the boggy ground near the island, until she found her, her paws splayed out and her neck fur bristling. "What's wrong?" she asked curiously, padding around her. Then, she caught sight of the loner. What HAD been a loner, at least.

She gaped at the body. "What in StarClan happened?!" she asked, almost yowling.

"I don't know. I was hunting down a mouse and I found the tom like that." Poppypaw said feebly.

Darkpelt knew she was probably going to go into shock if she stayed there much longer.

"Go back and get Silverstar," she ordered curtly. Poppypaw didn't hesitate before racing off.

Darkpelt then went closer to the body, sniffing. She caught the faint scent of rogue, another one, but nothing else. There was no fur caught in this loner's claws, either. The tom must've been surprised and killed quickly. For whatever reason the rogue that had attacked him had continued to mutilate the body....she shivered, not from the cold. What sort of cat did something like that? It was horrendous, terrifying almost.

***

Silverstar winced at the sight. "Smokespots take Poppypaw and Harepaw back to camp." she meowed firmly.

"Yes, Silverstar," the young tom meowed, dipping his head respectfully, before leading the two Apprentices away.

"Did you see the cat, or cats, that did this?" Silverstar asked Darkpelt once they were gone.

"No. And Poppypaw claims she didn't either. She just said she found the body." Darkpelt replied.

"Well, that isn't good," Silverstar meowed calmly.

"No, definitely not," Darkpelt meowed back, sort of confused at her calm tone. She was pretty sure Silverstar was having a panic attack on the inside, though.

"I'll get Whitefrost and a few other cats to take the body to the border, by the Horseplace, later. Then at least the cats there have a chance to grieve if they knew him." Silverstar mewed slowly. "For now let's go back," she continued.

"We should warn the cats to be careful, and not head out alone," Darkpelt meowed logically.

"True. I'll call a meeting when we get back." she meowed to the senior Warrior.

Silverstar gave the bloodied, mud-covered body one last look then started heading back towards camp, through the slushy mud. "Come on, the faster we get out of this place the better," she meowed softly, fear evident in her eyes now.

Darkpelt knew she was scared for her Clanmates, and not for herself, though.

***

Willowpaw and Sandpaw gawked at Poppypaw as she retold the story, and even Harepaw listened closely, even though he'd seen the loner himself.

"So, you think we might be attacked by rogues?! Like BloodClan?" Willowpaw asked anxiously. Sandpaw rolled her eyes.

"I highly doubt that and WindClan could more than take them," Sandpaw stated. She wasn't impressed with either Willowpaw or Poppypaw. But, at least Willowpaw was a good hunter. Poppypaw was still growing into her gangly body and even though she did have long legs she couldn't chase a rabbit.

"I agree with Sandpaw," Harepaw said curtly, nodding his head. He was always the level-headed one of the group. He'd never once bragged about being the Leader's Apprentice either. Sandpaw respected him for that.

Then, Silverstar leapt up onto the mound of dirt near her bracken-covered den. All heads turned in the middle of camp, even Speckleface and Kestrelfeather looked up from where they were sharing tongues.

***

"Cats of WindClan, I have bad news," Silverstar mewed simply, just loud enough for everyone to hear.

Petalfur came out of the Medicine Cat Den nervously, her bright eyes now dulled with worry.

Cloudfrost, a queen, even came out of the Nursery. She was due any time within the quarter-moon, so her sides were wide and she was pretty tired half of the time.

"What kind of bad news?" Longstep, WindClan's only elder, asked curiously, his ears flicked forward and his head tilted to the side. He flicked his ginger tail and waited on a response.

Silverstar took a deep breath. "Near the RiverClan border we found a body--a dead loner that seemingly was attacked and killed by a rogue, or a Clan cat who disguised their smell." she explained slowly.

"Fish faces. I bet they had something to do with it." Longstep hissed his neck fur ruffled.

Kestrelfeather nodded in agreement, his eyes angry.

"There's no reason to jump to conclusions. I'm betting on the fact it was a rogue. The faint cat smell was definitely not RiverClan. Maybe ThunderClan, since they tend to stink of the Thunderpath and two-legs, but not RiverClan." Silverstar admonished.

Longstep just rolled his eyes.

"Should I be worried, then?" Cloudfrost asked, her eyes wide with innocence.

"No, you're perfectly safe. But, I suggest that any mentors should focus a little more on battle training, just because it would be a good idea anyway." Silverstar replied calmly. No need to scare anyone.

"Okay." Cloudfrost mewed, a hint of uncertainty in her voice now.

"Don't worry; I'll protect you and the kits--from every cat in the Dark Forest if I have to." Smokespots mewed gently to his mate, licking her cheek.

Silverstar almost rolled her eyes at the blatant affection, but it wasn't her place. She should be happy for the two, anyway.

***

Petalfur was horrified. Her legs were almost shaking at the news. A cat had died on WindClan territory--like in her dreams someone had been killed. That scared her....so badly she couldn't quite put it into words. She now couldn't wait until the Gathering in a few more moonhighs. She needed to speak with the other Medicine Cats.

Silverstar was giving her a pointed look and she understood. They needed to talk more about her visions. She hurried over to her, ignoring the curious looks Rainpool and Darkpelt gave her.

"Tell me everything. Every little detail of those dreams you've been having...." Silverstar meowed, as they both padded into her den....


	5. Chapter 3: Shadow

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(A/N: Yo, people. Here's Chapter 3! Of course, seeing as the title of this chapter is "Shadow", can you guess which Clan it takes place in? LOL. And thank you, Frosteh, for reviewing! I'd love some more insight on your thoughts about the story, who I should kill off, if I should make it less/more dark, add in some romance, etc. Just send me a review or PM, please!)

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Chapter 3: Shadow

Whitefall awoke slowly and shook her head a little. She blinked her sightless-looking blue eyes and gazed around.

She was in the Warriors' Den, like usual, safely beneath the roots of a stand of young pines. She yawned and stretched out her back, while taking in the earthy, clean scent of the den. She stepped out of her nest and shook the moss scraps out of her pelt.

She then noticed that one of the Warriors' nests were empty. Firefang's, a newly made Warrior. She frowned slightly and padded out into the dusky camp, dawn still yet to come and the pine trees blocked out most of the moonlight--which only fell upon the pool of water on the outskirts of camp, which was dark but as the water rippled silver touched the surface. She narrowed her eyes and looked around. Where was Firefang?

She padded onward, sniffing out the pale ginger she-cat. On her way towards the entrance/exit of camp she caught an odd smell. She took a whiff of the air and then headed towards the scent. She stopped dead in her tracks as she realized what the smell was--BLOOD.

She raced forward and skidded to a halt next to Firefang, who was lying on her side just outside of camp. She winced and turned her head away at the sight. Firefang had two visible bite marks on her throat and her eyes were staring ahead, lifelessly.

Oh, great StarClan, no! This wasn't happening....this was just a dream....but when she felt the warmth of red blood under her paws she knew it wasn't.

Firefang had been murdered--either by a cat or a very small fox. She bet on a cat. Her fur bristled and she looked around.

"SHOW YOURSELF, YOU COWARD!" she yowled as loud as she could. No sound could be heard in the semi-dark forest....

***

Volefur started awake in his nest, where he'd been sleeping in the Warriors' Den, at the sound of a yowl.

Duststripe shifted a little in his own nest, but he didn't wake up. Volefur blinked rapidly, trying to adjust to the darkness. It was after moonhigh but before dawn, of course.

He noticed both Firefang and Whitefall were missing from their nests.

He stumbled to his paws and made his way clumsily out of the Warriors' Den, out into chilly camp. His fur fluffed up at the icy cold wind.

He slinked along the young trees until he made his way into the middle of camp. He made a complete circle, looking to see if anyone else was awake.

"Volefur, is that you?" Russetpaw asked him. He almost jumped; barely remembering who the voice belonged to.

"Yeah, it's me." he replied, trying to keep the surprise out of his voice and his neck fur to settle again.

"Oh. Is something up? I thought I heard a cat yowl." she mewed softly, her yellow were wide with worry and her pale ginger chest fur was ruffled. She flicked her bushy tail and tilted her head to the side, waiting on his answer.

"I'll check it out, you just stay with Scorchpaw." he meowed curtly, mentioning the name of her brother and his apprentice.

"Okay, Volefur." Russetpaw meowed, a look of confusion on her face, before turning around and heading back into the shadowy Apprentice Den.

He let out a small sigh of relief, and then headed out of camp, searching for Whitefall....

***

Whitefall whipped around, snarling, as she heard a rustle in a nearby holly bush. She growled low in her throat, claws extending.

"Calm down. It's just me." Volefur meowed loudly, slipping out into view--his dark brown fur was sleek and lighter in the moonlight.

"Oh." Whitefall mewed, her voice somewhat cracked as she re-sheathed her claws.

Volefur halted at the sight of Firefang's limp body.

"What happened?" he asked, worry lining his brow.

"I'm not sure. I just came here and found her like that." she replied softly, unable to look at Firefang now.

Volefur looked her over quickly then nodded. "Whoever did this will pay," he meowed darkly, padding over to Firefang.

He sniffed loudly over her and checked her claws. "There's no fur hooked in them. She didn't have time to fight back." he meowed in disgust, shaking his head.

"Any scent?" Whitefall asked him, coming over slowly--careful not to look too closely.

"Not that I can smell. Wait....I smell WindClan and RiverClan. But the WindClan stench is faint." he meowed calmly in response.

"Both?" she asked, confused now.

"Yeah, both, maybe a rogue, then." he mewed, his voice breaking a little now, too.

"A rogue that went from RiverClan, to WindClan, then came all the way back to ShadowClan?" she asked, now really confused.

"I don't know!" Volefur yowled, eyes blazing as he looked up at her.

She jumped back and her ears flattened in fright.

"I'm sorry, Whitefall. I shouldn't have yelled at you." Volefur heaved a sigh and sat down near the body.

"It's alright," she mewed softly.

"Let's get her body back to camp and see what Thornstar says." Volefur got to his paws again and grabbed Firefang's scruff, not even waiting on an answer before dragging her back himself....

***

Frostfang sighed softly to himself, watching as Russetpaw and Scorchpaw mourned their mother. Scorchpaw had his nose buried in his mother's pale ginger fur, his shoulders visibly shaking, and Russetpaw was in the same position, but you could hear her whimpering quite loudly.

He shook his head slowly, trying to take it all in.

Last night Whitefall and Volefur had found Firefang, a fairly young warrior, dead right outside of camp. She'd had a clean bite mark on her neck, but that was all. She'd been jumped, obviously, and had no time to fight back--and her assailant had disappeared without a trace.

Frostfang sighed and padded over to the Nursery, to check on his mate, Mothflight, and their two kits.

He peeked in and his frown disappeared, even if his worries didn't. Sootkit was playing quite roughly with Hollykit, who was pinned under him and kicking out with her back feet like a rabbit, trying to knock him off.

"Careful you two, you want to be fit for your Apprentice Ceremony in two moons." he told them quietly.

Sootkit nodded, and then batted at Hollykit's ears more gently.

"Oh!" Mothflight exclaimed, looking up from where she'd been dozing in her nest, tail tucked over her nose. He grinned weakly at her.

"Hi, Mothflight," he meowed quietly and padded over. He nuzzled her ears gently and licked her forehead.

"Ewww!" Hollykit yowled, glancing up at them from where she was still stuck under larger Sootkit.

"I heard a commotion outside, what happened?" Mothflight asked him, her voice almost a whisper, as they continued to watch their kits scrap.

"Firefang is dead," he mewed softly, his eyes slightly dull with pain. Firefang had been a loyal warrior.

"What?!"

He shushed Mothflight, trying to keep her from scaring the kits or waking the till asleep Shadowshine--who was due anytime in this quarter-moon.

"They found her outside of camp. They think a rogue killed her--since there was no distinct Clan scent and no fox stench." he meowed gently, burying his face in her fur and breathing in. Sometimes being Deputy was hard. He had to know everything that happened in camp. It was sometimes sort of awful.

"She shared a den with us. When our kits were only one moon old her Russetpaw and Scorchpaw were only kits too and played with them." Mothflight shifted in her nest, so she could look him in the eye.

"Is Thornstar doing everything he can?" she asked him, her voice stiff.

"Yeah, he is," he mewed, sort of confused. He was the leader, of course he was.

"Like what?" Mothflight tilted her head to the side, waiting on an answer.

He looked away, being unable to face her intense gaze. "He's telling the border patrols to mark the borders more frequently and force any loner off our territory, with their claws and teeth, anytime they see one." he meowed quietly. "He's also getting Patchpaw and Duskpaw to strengthen the Elders' Den and the Nursery's walls with gorse and bramble." he added.

Mothflight nodded her head slowly. "That sounds good," she mewed softly. Her gaze softened as they watched Hollykit finally flip Sootkit off and nip at his tail playfully. "I'm just worried about our kits."

"Me, too," he mewed, his voice gentle.

***

"Tigerpelt!" Thornstar meowed loudly, catching the attention of the brown tabby tom.

"Yes, Thornstar?" he asked curtly, padding over with his striped tail slack behind him, moving with the breeze.

"Would Duskpaw and you go and find some brambles?" Thornstar asked him quietly. "To, you know, bolster the Elder's Den and Nursery's walls?" the thick-set black tom asked meekly.

"Sure, Thornstar," Tigerpelt mewed gently. Thornstar was a young tom, he'd been very ambitious and an excellent fighter--which had let him become Deputy, but when the older Sagestar lost his last life saving an apprentice from an adder he'd become a Leader very young.

Actually, he was barely older than Tigerpelt, much younger than say Talonheart or Duststripe.

"Ask Whitefall and Patchpaw to help you. We'll want to make ShadowClan's camp even more protected. It's Leaf-Bare and cold, so it would help anyway." Thornstar meowed knowingly, before leaping back up to his den, climbing easily up over the rough, mottled dark gray rock.

Tigerpelt just nodded, even though he knew Thornstar couldn't see him anymore, and went to go find Whitefall. She was near the Medicine Cat Den, eating a lizard.

"Hey, Thornstar asked us to take our apprentices to fetch some bramble," he told her. "So, try to hurry."

She rolled her cloudy blue eyes. "I'll finish this lizard when I feel like it," she growled. Whitefall was younger than him, by about a moon, but she was as grouchy as an elder. She'd been sort of stunned after she'd found Firefang's body, but she was now back to her old self--sadly enough.

"We get to go out of camp?" Patchpaw asked excitedly, popping up out of nowhere it seemed like. Whitefall even jumped a little.

"Yeah, but we're fetching bramble only," Tigerpelt reminded him.

"That's okay. It's still fun to get out of camp." Patchpaw mewed, his voice slightly sullen now.

"I don't like seeing Russetpaw and Scorchpaw so upset, they're my friends, but there's nothing I can do. I think they're mad it was their mother and not mine." Patchpaw told Whitefall, curling up against the whitish she-cat.

Tigerpelt blinked, and suddenly realized he didn't really belong in this conversation. Patchpaw was only just six moons old, he bet the young apprentice was a little shocked about the death of Firefang, too.

He hadn't realized it was so traumatic to everyone else in camp. He'd felt sick at first, but he knew Firefang walked with StarClan now so he wasn't as upset. Maybe he should tell Russetpaw and Scorchpaw that....

"I doubt that, Patchpaw," Whitefall mewed gently; her voice oddly soft and she laid her tail tip on her apprentice's shoulder briefly.

"Um, I'm going to go and get Duskpaw--tell her what's up." Tigerpelt stammered, backing away and heading off. He wasn't good with that sort of thing. Not really. He always said the exact wrong thing, so he figured he'd better just leave.

***

Duskpaw yawned, stretching in the shadows of the overhang--right outside of the Apprentice Den.

She settled down and started grooming out her dark brown fur, smoothing it down and making it glossy. Any time now her sister and she would be made into Warriors, and if her fur wasn't perfect her mother still fussed over her. She almost rolled her eyes at the thought.

She wasn't in the mood to groom herself, but she didn't care. It at least got her mind off the death of Firefang, who had helped to train her when Tigerpelt had been wounded from battle.

"Hey, Duskpaw?" Oh, well, speaking of Tigerpelt....

"Yeah?" she asked back, looking up at her mentor.

"Whitefall, Patchpaw, and I are going to look for bramble to patch up the Nursery's walls," Tigerpelt meowed softly.

"And the Elders' Den's walls," she corrected.

"Oh, yeah, right," Tigerpelt mewed quietly. Hmmm. He was messed up about something....

"Come on then, let's go. I haven't eaten yet and I'd like to before the sunhigh patrol goes out." She quickly loped away, heading towards Whitefall and Patchpaw.

"Ready to go?" Whitefall asked her.

"Sure." she mewed quietly in reply.

Both Tigerpelt and Patchpaw said nothing, just followed them out of camp silently. She and Whitefall kept a good conversation going, though, commenting on anything rather than deal with the dreaded silence.

***

Foxheart grinned a little at Duskpaw and Patchpaw, as they weaved bramble through the overhanging roots of the pine trees and the already existing gorse and bramble.

"Good job. I know you'd rather be hunting or learning battle moves, but you're protecting your Clan this way." she meowed gently.

Duskpaw nodded, but Patchpaw just looked bored out of his mind.

"Here, I'll help. You'll be done quicker than way." Foxheart padded over, limping, and started helping the apprentices.

"You shouldn't be helping them, Foxheart." Lostfang told her, shaking his head sadly. He yawned and curled up tighter in his moss nest. "We're elders now, we should be able to rest." he grumbled.

"I might as well; you know I'm bored half the time." Foxheart mewed softly. She still hunted for herself most of the time, but she had lost her edge. Now, her chances were slim that she would even catch a mouse.

"Yes," Lostfang muttered. "I know. Because you're always saying so." he continued, looking up at the she-cat that would just be a senior Warrior if it wasn't for her bad leg.

"Didn't Cinderpelt, from the stories, become a Medicine Cat instead?" Patchpaw asked curiously.

"Yes, but I was too old and the Medicine Cat of my time already had an apprentice, Shadepaw," she meowed sullenly.

"Shadespring?" Duskpaw asked, thinking of the Medicine Cat.

"Yeah," Foxheart mumbled. "I probably wouldn't like it anyway, being a Medicine Cat."

Lostfang snorted. "Because healing the sick and injured cats fresh out of battle is so boring," he muttered to himself, annoyed.

"It doesn't matter. Just ask Shadespring to get some fresh mouse bile, I have a tick on the back of my neck I just can't get." Foxheart meowed, changing the subject neatly.

"Oh, sure," Patchpaw meowed quickly, weaving the last scrap of bramble into the wall.

"I'll go ask her right now!" Patchpaw meowed, before bolting out of the Elder's Den.

"Where do apprentices even get their energy from?" Lostfang asked himself, and then shook his head. He settled down and in a minute his breath turned more ragged, but steady, and Duskpaw and Foxheart knew he was asleep.

"Ah, well, go on and have fun, Duskpaw, live a little while you can." Foxheart muttered darkly, and then settled down in her own nest. Duskpaw swallowed hard, feeling very uncomfortable at that last comment and left hurriedly--with only a quick goodbye.

***

Thornstar twitched in his nest. It was past moonhigh and the large tom was dreaming. His ears flicked and his tail lashed.

_"HELP! PLEASE STARCLAN HELP ME!" a she-cat was wailing, she was standing in front of a few kits, guarding them. A huge cat, with a dirty, matted pelt--so disgusting he couldn't tell its original color--was moving in on them, yellowed fangs gleaming as his lips pulled back into a snarl. _

_The cat lunged at the queen and she shrieked as he slammed into her. He raked his claws down her side and she let out a pitiful caterwaul and one of her kits squeaked in shock, trying to hide behind its larger littermate.... _

Suddenly, the vision went away, and he was awake. He thrashed as he awoke, his eyes wide with fear and his breath coming quick and harsh.

"Thornstar?" Frostfang asked him, his eyes slightly wide.

He panted and settled back down, still in shock and unable to get what was going on. He blinked in the pale sunshine and he realized it was dawn.

"I was wondering who I was going to take on patrol with me." Frostfang meowed quietly, looking at him with worry.

"Are you all right?" his Deputy asked him.

"Yeah, I'm fine." he meowed softly, his eyes somewhat unfocused. He knew the dream he'd had, the nightmare, had been a vision. But everything had been so unclear....

All he knew is that Firefang's death wasn't going to be the only one mentioned at the Gathering.

He knew that in the churning pit of his stomach. Oh, great StarClan, he was going to be sick....

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_(A/N: R&R?)_


	6. Chapter 4: Thunder

_(A/N: __EDIT: I changed up some of this chapter, as when I re-read it to keep everything the same for the next ThunderClan chapter I noticed a few typos. So, yeah. Sorry!_

_Hello! As I've seen, I haven't gotten any reviews--except for one. Which, is sort of sad since I've managed to get lots of hits and visits--but no reviews. Oh, well. I'm going to keep writing, but if I don't get ANY feedback I will be a little sad. I love to write, so it isn't like I'll stop because I don't get tons of reviews or a PM here and there, but I do enjoy knowing how good/bad my story is and your thoughts on what should happen next. I'm thinking of posting the fifth chapter, today, as I have it mostly written up, as well. But, I might break it up into two parts. So, yeah. Tell me what you'd like to happen and I might work it into the sixth chapter--which is WindClan's chapter if you realize, so, yeah. Hopefully I'll get some feedback, if not--oh, well.)_

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**Chapter 4: Thunder**

Thrushpaw crept through the dimly lit forest, weaving between the densely packed pines near the ShadowClan border. His belly fur dragged along the ground as he snuck forward, his large, bright amber eyes watching an oblivious gray squirrel that was nibbling unconcernedly on an acorn. Then, he pounced.

With his muscular back legs propelling him forward he landed on the squirrel easily.

Then he quickly killed the squirrel, with one swift bite to the throat.

He purred a little, sort of proud of his quick catch.

"Hey, Weedstem!" he yowled happily. "I caught a squirrel," he added, glancing around trying to spot his mentor. He frowned and cocked his head to the side. Where was his mentor, anyway?

"Weedstem?" he repeated, while burying his catch quickly under a thin layer of dirt. No response, again.

He padded hurriedly forward, following his mentors still fresh scent. "Weedstem?!" he asked frantically.

Suddenly, he stopped dead, eyes widening. He'd found Weedstem. But, Weedstem was dead; throat ripped open brutally and blood pooling around his awkwardly twisted neck.

Thrushpaw let out a yowl of pure, undisguised terror.

***

Raggedfur tensed as a frightened yowl split the air. The scrawny, small robin he'd been stalking flew briskly into the air with a startled thrill, a few of its dull feathers fluttered to the ground as a testimony to its haste.

"Fox dung," he muttered. He was slightly annoyed--and a little worried. Mousewhisker raised a questioning eyebrow and looked at him with disapproval clear in her unusually pale eyes.

Mousewhisker's apprentice, Snowpaw, looked quite worried; her brow creased with confusion and eyes dark with thought. The small she-cat looked abnormally thoughtful. "That sounded like Thrushpaw," she mewed softly. She shuffled her pure-white paws and looked at Mousewhisker and then him with worry in her gaze.

Mousewhisker nodded slowly, responding to her apprentice's unasked question. "We should go check it out," she meowed firmly, and turned tail, heading towards the sound already and Snowpaw hastily started loping along right behind her.

"Fine," Raggedfur snapped, "let's just go already," he added sarcastically, as no one had waited for his opinion.

***

Snowpaw let out a gasp of shock, her eyes widening. "THRUSHPAW?!" she caterwauled alarmingly. Thrushpaw was hovering over Weedstem's bloodied and limp body. He looked up sharply at her, his amber eyes unusually dull.

"He's dead," he meowed emotionlessly. His shoulders were slumped and he bowed his head as he moved away to let Mousewhisker and Raggedfur check out the body.

"What happened here?" Mousewhisker asked her mew high-pitched with--fear. She was staring at Thrushpaw like he was some sort of monster.

Wait, why was she doing that? She didn't honestly think Thrushpaw would kill Weedstem, did she?

"I don't know. We were hunting. I went away for a minute to catch a squirrel and when I came back he was--like this." Thrushpaw meowed haltingly. He let out a small whimper, which shocked me. He never showed weakness, not ever.

"I don't know," he continued.

Raggedfur shouldered his way past Mousewhisker and inspected the wound. "Well, the bite mark is far too big for Thrushpaw, so I'm thinking either a full-grown cat or fox did this. But, I don't smell fox. Mouse dung, I don't smell anything! There isn't a scent on the body, only ours--now." Raggedfur meowed grimly, his tail lashing behind him quickly.

***

Ashstar was lying on the Highledge, curiously watching what was going on in camp.

Honeyleg was lounging outside of the Nursery; her beautifully dappled pelt glossy in the sunlight and her sides were only slightly rounded even though she was due any moonhigh now.

Moonwing was eating a mouse near the entrance to the Medicine Cat Den, her pale-colored tail tucked neatly around her paws, and Lionfur, his Deputy, was trying to find Tigerleap, Sparrowspots, and her apprentice Milkpaw, to go on the sunhigh patrol.

It currently was almost sunhigh, and even a mouse-brain could tell that. The sun was beating down on camp, almost directly overhead, but clouds were on the horizon.

Soon it would rain, he had no doubt. Thank goodness. There had been a short drought, as it was leaf-bare still, but it had been warmer for the past few moons. There had been no rain.

Then, he scented blood. He jumped to his paws, the fur on the back of his neck fluffing up. Lionfur tensed too, his pelt bristling and his claws un-sheathing. Lionfur began watching the thorn tunnel that led into camp, his green eyes narrowed.

To both of their surprise Mousewhisker padded into camp, her fur ruffled and her eyes wide. Snowpaw followed her, with a similar expression on her face.

Following them were Thrushpaw and Raggedfur, who were dragging the limp body of Weedstem. It was obvious the senior warrior was dead.

Thunderstep padded out from the shadows of the cliff, and watched the motley group.

"What happened?" he asked calmly, pointedly letting his fur flatten to calm down the cats of ThunderClan.

"We're not exactly sure, Ashstar," Raggedfur meowed steadily, looking from Weedstem to him, then back again.

"Come to my den, all of you," he meowed firmly, and padded past the hanging moss into the shadows.

***

Thunderstep was now seated in the Leader's Den, watching as Ashstar meowed quietly--asking questions when he deemed fit. Ashstar seemed to be fairly worried, as Thrushpaw, Raggedfur, Snowpaw, and Mousewhisker recounted the events that led to the death of Weedstem.

He shivered, not from the cold. Weedstem hadn't died in battle (which was an honorable death) or died of old age as an elder. He hadn't even died of a sickness, like many cats had in the leaf-bare before this one. No, he'd been killed on his own territory by a passing rogue, or Clan cat that had managed to hide her or his scent.

He wondered how Weedstem had been taken by surprise, being a senior warrior like himself. Plus Weedstem had been one of the best hunters in their Clan. How had he not heard his attacker?

His ears pricked up, though, as the conversation died and Ashstar sighed, sounding frustrated. "Mark the border, well, on the sunhigh patrol, Lionfur. Look for any signs of prey stealing or cats on our territory. If you see ANYONE drive them off, with your claws and teeth if need be." Ashstar meowed firmly, his posture as stiff as his voice.

"Make sure two cats are guarding camp at all times, too, and don't let any cat go out by themselves," he continued, his mew slightly tight.

"Isn't that a little excessive?" Raggedfur asked quietly.

"If it's to keep my Clan safe, nothing is too much," Ashstar retorted harshly, his tail thumping the ground in frustration.

"Of course," Raggedfur meowed, dipping his head in respect. "Now, come on, Thrushpaw, let's go and say our goodbyes to Weedstem." the older warrior meowed, his tone gentle as he ushered Thrushpaw out of the Leader's Den.

Ashstar sighed as Mousewhisker and Snowpaw followed suit.

"What do you think, Lionfur?" Ashstar asked the deputy.

"You're doing as much as you can," Lionfur meowed firmly, "and you should be careful until everything calms down, anyway."

"Any suggestions, Thunderstep?" Ashstar asked him, his dark eyes glazed with worry.

"Just keep the borders marked and don't let any kits or apprentices wander out of camp alone," he meowed, shrugging his wide shoulders. He quickly got to his paws after that, and after saying goodbye he padded out of the Leader's Den as well.

***

Ashstar looked down on camp, from his spot on Highledge. "All cats old enough to catch their own prey join beneath Highledge!" he yowled loudly, then glanced down, his eyes softening.

Weedstem's littermates had already passed on, as well as his parents, so it wasn't like he had much family. But, everyone mourned the loss of the senior warrior--especially Sparrowspots and Thrushpaw, who were the past apprentices of Weedstem. The pair were now saying their goodbyes to the dead warrior and sharing tongues with him one last time.

Raggedfur was hovering behind the two, worry clear in his eyes, and Leafpaw, Thrushpaw's sister, was grooming Thrushpaw's ears in an attempt to comfort the young tom.

The mourners looked up, but they didn't move from their spot. All of the other Clan cats here gathered, though.

"Although I understand every cat must take her or his time grieving, I would like to appoint a new mentor for Thrushpaw. Once he is ready, his new mentor will continue what Weedstem, who now hunts in StarClan, started." Ashstar meowed loudly, catching every cat's attention. His mew was slow and calm, gentle almost.

"Lionfur, I'd like you to mentor Thrushpaw for the rest of his apprenticeship. Teach him everything your mentor Goldenfern taught you." he meowed, causing his Deputy, Lionfur, to look a little shocked, flattered but shocked.

"Thank you, Ashstar. I'll teach him everything I know." Lionfur meowed sincerely, bowing his head respectfully before going to pad over to Thrushpaw. He rested his tail on his shoulder and talked quietly to him.

Ashstar could see his mouth move, but couldn't hear him from so far away. Not that it mattered, it was private after all....

***

Ashstar jumped down off of Highledge, his muscles rippling under his thick pelt as he landed neatly on the dirt. He was going to hunt, to clear his head mostly, since it felt like someone had stuffed a heap of cobwebs up there, but to also feed his Clan.

Suddenly, though, Moonwing was in front of him. He stiffened in shock, and then blinked. "Oh! Hello, Moonwing. Did you have something to tell me?" he asked her, sort of confused about her sudden entrance. The she-cat blinked her round, honey-colored amber eyes.

"Yes, may we talk in private?" she asked him, her voice almost cautious.

Hmmm....

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_((PLEASE R&R? _DANG_. Now I'm _begging_. Uh, just review if you feel like it? LOL.)_


	7. Chapter 5: Kittypets Kicked Out River2

_(A/N: I would like to thank my awesome reviewers, once again. I'm now up to two (2) reviews! I'm hoping to have more next time. The key word in that setence "hoping". Anyway, here's the next 'part'--i.e. RiverClan's next chapter. We're back to square one....sort of. It's sort of just a filler, a built-up chapter if you will. Don't worry. I already have the next chapter all written up pretty much, so it'll be posted. It's about the Gathering. After that, we'll move on to WindClan....and I do think I'll have another cat get attacked/be killed. Feel free to say who you DON'T want to be killed, or who you DO. LOL. Anyway, here you go--chapter five (5).__)_

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**Chapter 5: Kittypets Kicked Out (RiverClan's chapter, part one [River2])**

----Stoneclaw was once again out on patrol, but this time it was a hunting patrol and not a border patrol. They were near the Greenleaf Twolegplace, hunting in the stream that flowed through this part of their territory like a long, silver snake, flashing in the bright sunshine of this rare, sunny Leaf-bare day.

Graystar had led the patrol, and the pale gray tabby she-cat was fishing silently, hunched forward and watching the surface of the fast-moving water with her intense green eyes.

Suddenly, she lashed out and sent a large fish tumbling onto the bank. It flopped around for a minute, and then went still.

Swiftstream was with them again, luckily enough. Graystorm was off, training with his apprentice, Waterpaw, and couldn't come.

Blackspots was, unfortunately, still stuck in the Medicine Cat Den--staying still and hoping not to re-open his wounds, with Pebblestream and Skypaw doting on him.

So, yeah--all in all, their Clan was the smallest around the Lake. Stoneclaw didn't really know why it was like that, it just was.

Maybe that was why those scrawny, rabbit-chasers in WindClan were always trying to steal their territory--since they were a larger Clan and could beat them easily enough. Truth be told, they didn't actually NEED all of their territory, but it had belonged to them for generations, and they weren't about to give it up.

Suddenly, Stoneclaw got a funny, prickly feeling on the back of his neck. His hackles rose a bit out of fear and he whipped around. He looked around; trying to figure out what had been giving him that feeling.

He couldn't SEE anything, but he knew someone was there. He eyed the Greenleaf Twolegplace, looking for anything vaguely suspicious.

"What is it, Stoneclaw?" Graystar asked him, momentarily looking up--her eyes troubled.

"Nothing, Graystar. Wait, actually I want to go and check something out." he meowed in response, spotting a flash of dark gold near the lake edge.

"All right, but let us come with you. We already have a good catch." Graystar meowed back, dropping a slightly smaller fish on the bank.

Swiftstream quickly buried her catch, a water vole, and Stoneclaw buried his fish under a thin layer of the muddy dirt, and they all headed out to take a peek at whatever was creeping around on their territory....

***

Graystar followed Stoneclaw, who was padding ahead quickly--eyes set dead ahead and paws hitting the ground heavily.

"What is it we're looking for?" Swiftstream asked quietly, her gaze somewhat worried as she stared at Stoneclaw's broad shoulders.

"I'm pretty sure I saw a cat," Stoneclaw replied. "Its fur was too light to be a fox, but sort of golden." Swiftstream nodded, her green eyes still portraying fear, though.

"Well, if it's a ShadowClan cat that went a little too far over the border, we'll teach it a lesson. Don't attack it, but don't let it know you won't." Graystar meowed in response.

Stoneclaw suddenly stopped his brown tail lashing behind him and claws unsheathing, sinking deep into the soft earth.

"It's not a ShadowClan cat." he growled, then lifted his muzzle--sniffing the air avidly.

"What do you mean?" Swiftstream countered. "Is it the rogue that attacked Blackspots?"

"I'm not sure," he meowed quietly.

"Well, let's go ahead and see who it is already," Graystar meowed commandingly, and then loped ahead, racing in the direction of another short glimpse of tawny fur.

Stoneclaw quickly followed her, keeping stride, and Swiftstream ran a fox-length behind them.

Graystar leapt over a low-lying bush and she almost landed on a young she-cat, maybe apprentice-aged, who was eating a water vole by the edge of the lake.

The she-cat's tawny-colored eyes widened and her tail bristled. She just stood there, staring at them in shock.

Stoneclaw followed, growling lowly with his back somewhat arched, and Swiftstream came around calmly, weaving around the bush, and gave the she-cat a quick once over.

"This isn't the cat that attacked Blackspots," Swiftstream meowed confidently. "Look at her, she's as scrawny as a WindClan cat, except I'm pretty sure the wind would blow her over!"

"It doesn't matter. She stole prey. We should chase her off." Stoneclaw growled, and then bared his teeth threateningly at the loner.

"Calm down, Stoneclaw," Graystar mewed calmly, watching as the mottled golden tabby she-cat cowered, eyes as wide as can be.

Stoneclaw hissed, and then stalked off.

Swiftstream sighed, and then padded up slowly until she was less than a fox-length away from the young she-cat.

"My name is Swiftstream and I'm a warrior of RiverClan," she announced. "Who are you?" she asked suspiciously.

"Ginger," the loner mewed weakly. "My housefolk kicked my brother and I out a few day ago. I'm sorry for bothering you, I was just hungry." she continued.

"And....is your brother here with you?" Graystar asked calmly.

Ginger nodded. "He's around here somewhere," she mewed in response, looking down at her paws.

Graystar eyed Ginger. Her pelt was longer, thick and somewhat dull from hunger, she supposed, and her body was small and boney, but if she ate a little more she'd look much like a RiverClan cat. Maybe this pathetic-looking cat was the answer to her prayers to StarClan? She sort of hoped not, but she couldn't be picky. After all, Firestar had been a kittypet at first, as had his nephew Cloudtail and many other noble warriors.

"I'm sort of surprised you caught that water vole by yourself," Graystar mewed calmly. "You did catch it by yourself, didn't you?" she asked, her eyes slightly narrowed.

Ginger nodded hurriedly. "Yes, I did," she replied, "It sort of ran right over my paws, though," she added sheepishly.

Graystar nodded. That's all she really needed to know. She hoped so, at least. Her Clan needed some fresh blood in it, after all.

"Well then, Ginger, how would you like to return to our camp with us?" she asked.

Ginger blinked owlishly at her, seemingly stunned. "What do you mean?" Ginger asked her.

Swiftstream took the initiative and started telling Ginger about Clan life--about the ranks and the different jobs of each, the way cats spent time together sharing tongues and eating prey, how elders and queens were taken care of.

Graystar was a little surprised, but quite pleased.

"I guess I'd like to come. It sounds wonderful." Ginger meowed quietly, eyes still big but now with a somewhat dreamy look in them. Obviously, Ginger thought her prayers at been answered, too.

Then Ginger's eyes widened slightly. "Could my brother come too?" she begged, her mew pleading.

Graystar nodded slowly, unsure if he was RiverClan material, too, but he might be needed. They needed new cats and fresh blood, fresh blood led to stronger, healthier Warriors. She supposed Ginger's brother looked a lot like her--like a RiverClan cat. She hoped he could catch prey like she could, though, and wasn't a soft kittypet.

***

Ginger led the cats to the Greenleaf Twolegplace, her steps careful and measured as she crept along the rocky lake edge, staying in the dense reeds.

"Is there any reason that we're hiding?" Stoneclaw asked irritably.

"Yes, there could be twolegs here. Some of them have decided to start visiting in leaf-bare." Ginger meowed in response.

Graystar winced. Hopefully they weren't mouse-brained enough to swim in the lake in this cold. Well, as long as they didn't scare off the fish or mess around on RiverClan's territory....they weren't her problem.

"Here we are." Ginger padded towards a hole in the Twoleg nest, or whatever the odd place was. It reeked of old fish, crow-food, and a weird, sharp and sour smell that made her gag.

"Wait here." Ginger slipped in without looking back, her golden pelt going dark in the shadows, then disappearing altogether.

After a few moments, Graystar was getting antsy.

But, then Ginger padded back out, a cobweb stuck on her right shoulder and her fur somewhat dusty. A broad-shouldered, light brown, faintly marked by thin, darker tabby-stripes, tom followed her. He was much bigger than Ginger, if still boney and underfed, and his tail was somewhat bushy and he had somewhat intense muddy-yellow eyes.

"Hello," he growled quietly, his mew gruff and deep.

"Nice to meet you, I'm Graystar, the leader of RiverClan." Graystar blinked at the tom, hoping for a good response.

"I know you are. Ginger told me about you and what you wanted us to do." the tom meowed sullenly.

"Um, well, what's your name?" Swiftstream asked.

Ginger's brother grunted. "Does it matter?" he asked them. "You said you'd change it anyway," he commented.

Stoneclaw growled quietly. "Just tell us your name, please," he snapped, the please somewhat sarcastic.

"My name is Marcus, okay?"

"That's an interesting name." Graystar stated neutrally.

"Yeah, yeah. I know. Blame my housefolk for my mouse-brained name." Marcus snapped, tail lashing.

"Okay, everyone just calm down. You two need a home and RiverClan needs more cats--it's a win-win situation, as long as we are all rational." Swiftstream meowed curtly.

Graystar and Ginger both nodded. "That makes sense." Ginger mewed quietly. Marcus snorted, but he didn't say anything bad. Stoneclaw just stalked off, heading back for camp....

***

Sootpaw hissed as a foreign smell hit his nose. His jaws parted and he scented the air. He smelled the stench of a kittypet, or maybe even two--so much like two-legs.

Leopardclaw tensed beside him, where he was crouched down on the ground eating a plump shrew.

In a few moments, Graystar, Stoneclaw, Swiftstream, and two young cats, a mottled golden tabby she-cat and a light brown tabby tom--the kittypets Sootpaw had scented--came into camp.

"Who are THEY?" Waterpaw, Graystorm's apprentice, asked—while nodding to the mottled golden tabby and ignoring the aggressive-looking tom.

"Her name is Ginger," Graystar meowed in response, "and she is the newest member of RiverClan."

Stoneclaw grumbled under his breath, and then stalked off for the Medicine Cat Den, to check on Blackspots and get away from that kittypets Graystar had just welcomed into their camp. Everyone else was in stunned silence.

"What?!" Sootpaw yowled finally, amber eyes wide in shock. "You're letting TWO kittypets into RiverClan? What are we--turning into ThunderClan?"

Leopardclaw cuffed Sootpaw over the head. "No questioning your Leader." He looked up at Graystar with a confused look, though.

Graystar sighed loudly and jumped up on the sandy mound in the middle of camp, to speak.

"All cats old enough to catch your own prey, gather beneath...."

Sootpaw tuned out Graystar's yowl, and just sat down, letting out a huff, beside Leopardclaw, who had momentarily abandoned his prey to sit in the shadows of the hard-packed earth rise that Graystar stood upon proudly.

"We all know RiverClan is vulnerable--very vulnerable. Both ShadowClan and WindClan have been taking advantage of us recently--ShadowClan cats have been seen fishing from OUR lake and WindClan has been attempting to gain our territory, little by little." Graystar meowed loudly.

Graystar's loud yowls caused Riverwillow to peek out of the Elder's Den, and then come padding out, Pebblestream and Skypaw to come from the Medicine Cat Den, and made Mistypelt pad out from the Nursery with her kits close behind her.

"That's true. But why did you bring a kittypet into our camp? Not to question your judgment, but I'm curious, Graystar." Riverwillow mewed, her voice still as smooth as the lake's surface in the morning--which would be without a single ripple.

"I figured we needed some new blood, and since Ginger here was able to catch a water vole--without training, something few apprentices could even do--and was honest about how easy the catch truly was, as the patrol had probably scared the water vole out into the open, I figured she would be a good asset to our Clan. She agreed to join our ranks, as well." Graystar explained slowly, her mew carefully level.

Riverwillow nodded.

"And Marcus here was able to catch a mouse on the way here, too. Swiftstream gave him a few tips and he was able to make a catch immediately. He seems like a good hunter, as we got to see him in action--and since he is her brother, we wanted both of them to stay together." she continued.

"That makes sense, I suppose--just as long as you don't become as lenient as Firestar. He let in a few too many kittypets into ThunderClan, in my opinion."

"Don't worry about that. I just chose her, also, because she seemed to be RiverClan material. She looks much like one of our cats. Marcus looks more like a ThunderClan, cat, though, but he seems able to learn. But, I doubt once the scent goes away any of the other Clans could tell the difference." Graystar promised.

"May I say something?" Skypaw asked softly.

Graystar blinked, sort of surprised. Skypaw normally kept to himself. "Sure."

"Last night I dreamt of Mothwing. She didn't say anything, really. It was so muddled up and I hardly remember it. But, she looked a lot like Ginger." Skypaw was watching Ginger as he spoke, eyes curious.

"Well, then. It seems StarClan wanted me to let Ginger into our Clan." Graystar seemed happy that she'd made the right choice for once, and slightly relieved at the news.

"Maybe," Riverwillow mewed very softly, her eyes downcast.

Graystar knew the elderly queen was proud--and didn't like the fact that RiverClan wasn't the large, bustling Clan it had been in her youth, or that they had to sink to taking in kittypets to keep their Clan big enough and strong enough to keep other Clans from stealing their prey and maybe even territory.

"Will I really have to change my name?" Ginger asked quietly, shuffling her paws and speaking for the first time. She'd been sort of hiding behind the equally quiet Swiftstream, who seemed thoughtful.

"Yes, but I'm sure you'll like it," Graystar meowed calmly.

Ginger nodded slowly. "I never really liked the name my housefolk gave me."

"Good. Now, you must know, Ginger, once you're given your name you belong to this Clan and you can't have a paw in both worlds--you'll either be a warrior, or go back to being a kittypet. You can't be both." Graystar meowed firmly, her eyes slightly narrowed and her gaze searing.

Ginger gulped. "Okay."

"Now, Ginger, from this day forward until you get your warrior name you will be known as Sunpaw. Swiftstream will be your mentor." Graystar yowled, her mew carrying throughout RiverClan's camp.

Sun paw fluffed up a little, her eyes excited as Swiftstream explained what to do next. She quickly shifted and placed her nose to Swiftstream's shoulder, as Swiftstream rested her chin momentarily on the top of Sunpaw's head.

Graystar purred quietly. "And, Marcus, the same goes for you. Warriors don't accept the soft life of a kittypet." she meowed loudly. Marcus just nodded curtly, brown-flecked yellow eyes piercing.

Graystar shifted, her tail flicking behind her. "From this day forward, you will be known as...."

***

Marcus looked up expectantly, waiting on an answer, but Graystar's eyes were suddenly glazed over and unfocused--like she was seeing something that wasn't there. Quickly, Graystar snapped out of it, shaking her head fast, like she was trying to clear her thoughts.

"From now on until you get your warrior name you will be called Mudpaw. Your mentor will be me." Graystar meowed calmly.

Mudpaw blinked. He'd been pretty sure she'd been about to call him something else, but he shrugged it off as nothing. Sunpaw nudged him, smiling a little. "You get to be the leader's apprentice! Waterpaw just told me that was very special!" she meowed hurriedly. He grinned back at her weakly, then glanced over at Waterpaw--who was yowling both of their apprentice names. Well, she seemed nice.

Only Swiftstream, Skypaw, Leopardclaw, and Graystorm were, otherwise. Stoneclaw was silent, glaring at him, Pebblestream looked thoughtful, and Sootpaw seemed confused. Well, at least that was about half the Clan, then....

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_(A/N: R&R, please?) _


	8. Chapter 6: Deaths River3

_(A/N: Hello, people! I would like to thank rainbotash for adding my Fanfic to her/his Favorite Story +. I don't seem to have gotten anymore reviews, but oh, well. Normally I'm a pessimist, but I've had my medicine so I think I'm okay. Yeeeah, I was just being sarcastic...._

_Anyway, thanks to anyone who's read my Fanfic so far! I love to know that I've gotten so many hits! Now, if a few of you could drop a review or two....yes, I know, I am obsessed with getting reviews but they give me a fuzzy, warm feeling. I don't even care if they're flames! LOL. Yes, I am that pathetic I am begging for at least a FLAME. LOL. I don't really care what you have to say--I'd just like to have some feedback. Sorry for constantly begging, I know it's annoying...._

_P.S. This chapter is going to be a little different, since it's pt. two of a LOOONG RiverClan chapter. For whatever reason, I wanted to do TWO chapters in RiverClan's POV instead of one._

_P.P.S. Next chapter, should I kill someone off? I might....so if you don't want someone you like to die....guess what? REVIEW. I know, I'm so clever, right? Darn, I was just sarcastic again....)_

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**Chapter 7: Deaths (RiverClan's chapter, part two [River3])**

Waterpaw let out a tiny yelp, as her paws slipped on the smooth surface of the fallen tree that led to the island.

She felt someone grab her scruff and yank her up. Thank StarClan!

"Careful," Graystorm mumbled, his mew muffled by her downy fur, "you don't want to look like a drowned rat at your first Gathering."

Her mentor set her back down and she nodded in agreement. "Thank you for keeping me from falling."

"No problem. Luckily, you're a RiverClan cat, so no one would've had to fish you out--but, the water's cold and I don't want you getting white cough." Graystorm just shrugged his broad shoulders, then nudged her forward, his ears flicking back once. She scrambled ahead, using her claws this time, then finally got to the other side. She let out a sigh of relief as her paws found the frozen solid ground of the island.

Leaf-bare had come back with a vengeance, freezing even the stream that led to the Greenleaf Twolegplace over. Snow was even falling down delicately, as RiverClan trudged as a whole to the Gathering.

Graystorm and she were there, of course. Graystar, Leopardclaw, Pebblestream, Stoneclaw, Sootpaw, and Riverwillow had all come, as well.

Mudpaw, Swiftstream, and Sunpaw had stayed behind, to guard camp, as well as to make sure the kittypet stench was completely gone before they came to a Gathering. Skypaw had stayed to take care of Blackspots and of course Mistypelt and her kits didn't come to the Gathering.

***

Pretty soon, all of them were in their places--with Graystar leaping up to join the other leaders, her muscles rippling under her plush, thick pelt.

Waterpaw looked around, fur bristling in excitement, as she sighted the other Clans. She had never seen a ThunderClan cat; since they didn't share a border with ThunderClan and she had never been to a Gathering.

ThunderClan as a whole was filled with strong, very large cats. The toms were especially thick-set and most of them had very broad-shoulders--they were even larger than Graystorm, and he was the biggest tom in RiverClan! The she-cats were somewhat lither, but they were still much stockier than ShadowClan's or WindClan's cats. Graystar had been right; Mudpaw did look somewhat like a ThunderClan apprentice.

ShadowClan kept to themselves, more towards one side of the island--hidden somewhat in the shadows of the tall evergreens. Their pelts mostly dark and their build sturdier than WindClan, but she'd seen them before. Not often, as they slinked around in their territory filled with dense pines almost silently.

WindClan, though, seemed slightly different--she'd seen them quite often, so it wasn't like how she'd seen ThunderClan for the first time and been shocked by how BIG they were, but something was different about them.

They seemed rangier, some of them seemed much more scrawny than before and their coats had become even more dull. They'd never had glossy fur like RiverClan had, or really been long-furred, but they were looking more like how half-starved Sunpaw had looked when she'd first been brought to camp.

Huh. That was odd. They had a whole territory to hunt in, why did they look like they'd been going hungry....?

***

Leopardclaw sat directly below the leaders, on the roots of the vast tree like the other deputies, his mottled light brown pelt bleached out and glossy in the moonlight. The full moon was dazzling up above, showing clear through the nearly cloudless sky. One small, blackish gray cloud threatened to cover it, though--which worried him. Why did StarClan seem almost unhappy....?

He finally shrugged it off, and looked towards Whitefrost. She looked different; normally her unusual completely white pelt seemed more....stark compared to her clanmates. She looked thinner; too, her rubs and shoulders jutting out almost. Her blue eyes were dulled, too--almost hazy.

He'd seen how WindClan was looking underfed, though. That was probably why they'd been stealing prey; they must be having some sort of crisis, or something.

Not that it gave them the right to steal prey, _or_ try to take their territory. If they asked for it, Graystar would give them temporary hunting rights, because she was a fair and just leader as he knew so well; but, if they didn't ask for it they'd be driven off with claws and teeth, as was right.

His thoughts trailed off as the leaders started talking. ThunderClan's leader, Ashstar, was speaking first.

"ThunderClan would like to report that our prey is running well, even in the cold of Leaf-bare, and we are as strong as ever."

Leopardclaw rolled his eyes. Sure they were. He'd never been a fan of ThunderClan and he especially didn't like Ashstar. He was young, almost as young as Thornstar, ShadowClan's leader, but he pretended he wasn't and that he was just as experienced as Graystar or Silverstar.

And Graystar was so old she was thinking of retiring, which was a scary thought to him. She'd told him she only had two lives left, anyway, which frightened him beyond reason.

"But, I'd like to note that a brave and loyal warrior died," Ashstar meowed solemnly.

Leopardclaw's eyes widened and he whipped his head towards the ThunderClan cats. There were so many he couldn't tell who it had been, though!

"Weedstrem will be missed, especially by those who knew him well. Unfortunately, we discovered that he was killed by a cat--a rogue, we presume. But if anyone else _here_ has information, we'd like to know." Ashstar meowed, his mew grating and almost a flat out growl.

Chaos erupted in the Clans, who were asking questions faster than he could note and their mews jumbled together. Some cats yowled about how ThunderClan was implying their Clan was responsible.

"QUIET!" Thornstar, ShadowClan's heavy-set leader, caterwauled. Silence fell over the clearing, as a cloud, the one he'd been watching before, noticeably drifted away from the moon--as it had been covering it for a moment.

***

Graystar sighed quietly. Another cat had been attacked, too. That was horrible. Except, this time, the older warrior had been killed; unlike the younger Blackspots, who was doing okay now--still weak and exhausted, but better. He was healing, luckily.

"Actually, Firefang, one of ShadowClan's warriors as you know, Russetpaw's and Scorchpaw's mother, was killed as well." Thornstar's eyes were filled with sorrow and he slumped a little at the announcement. "We believe she was also killed by a rogue."

The cats of the Clans were quiet now, cats were whispering loudly to each other, however--but it wasn't like they were meowing even louder or caterwauling/yowling, luckily enough. If that kept up she'd go deaf.

"Really?" Ashstar asked Thornstar quietly, seemingly shocked.  
"Yes," Thornstar mewed coolly, eyes suddenly steely.  
"Oh." Ashstar shifted and glanced at his oversized paws, avoiding Thornstar's piercing glare.

"One of RiverClan's cats, Blackspots, was brutally attack--but he is okay." Graystar meowed quietly, just loud enough for the Clans to hear.

A uniform gasp was heard at the news.

"Silverstar? Did anyone get attacked, or die, in WindClan?" Thunderstep, a large white tom and a ThunderClan warrior, asked.  
"No." Silverstar straightened up a little and looked directly at Thunderstep. "But, we found a dead loner by the border."

Thunderstep nodded in response, slight fear in his eyes now.

"Anyway, the prey is running well in ShadowClan," Thornstar meowed finally, breaking up the uncomfortable silence hanging over the Gathering. "Two of our kits, Blackpaw and Patchpaw, are now Apprentices." Thornstar nodded to the two, who were sitting up straight, their fur fluffed slightly with excitement....and fear.

Both seemed to be uneasy, which was understandable. It made sense....they were young and had just heard that three cats were dead, two of them Clan cats, and another Clan cat had been attacked.

The other three leaders all shared a quick glance, Graystar included. Obviously, Thornstar knew they shouldn't upset their clanmates anymore by telling them about the attacks and murders. Problems should stay in the Clan, anyway; unless they were very important.  
Graystar sighed quietly to herself, eyes troubled. This was something that should be talked about more. Maybe she should go to the Moonpool and get StarClan's advice. Too bad she'd have to either cross WindClan's territory, or ShadowClan's, to get there.  
Oh, well. She needed to for the safety of her Clan that was all that mattered.

Silverstar straightened up, the moonlit fur along her back smoothing down as the confusion and stress went away. "All is going well in WindClan," she meowed loudly, her dark blue eyes flashing.  
Graystar noticed she didn't mention the prey was running well. She'd have to speak with her at the end of the Gathering, if possible....

"Whitefrost's three kits are now apprentices--one of them, Willowpaw, is here tonight." Silverstar gazed down warmly at a small, pale mottled gray she-cat who seemed half scared and half embarrassed.

Whitefrost sat up proudly where she sat with the other deputies on top of the aboveground thick, twisting roots of the tree. She was large for a she-cat and snowy-white, very rare for WindClan. She probably wasn't the best hunter, obviously, as she'd stand out in the heather moor.

"Anything you'd like to say, Graystar?" Thornstar asked her quietly, his mew gentle.

"Yes," she meowed softly.

"Mistypelt gave birth to two healthy kits, Reedkit and Grasskit. Sootpaw was also made into an apprentice, obviously." Graystar explained her mew louder. Sootpaw sat up straighter, his amber eyes filled with pride.

"That is all." Graystar leapt off of her branch then and scrambled down the tree, not as gracefully as she'd intended, but she landed lightly on the ground.

Although the last to get there, RiverClan was the first to leave....she hadn't stayed to speak with Silverstar, after the hostile look the she-cat had given her....

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_(A/N: R&R? So I can stop being pathetic and begging like a wuss?)_


	9. Chapter 7: Seen Wind2

_(A/N: Yo....so, yeah. This is WindClan's chapter--i.e. from that Clan's POV. Yeah, it's not my favorite chapter so far. It seems a little tense to me, but, yeah. Tell me what you think....? I hope you do. I need some more feedback, guys. I know tons of people see this Fanfic--from the number of hits and visitors I get, but no one ever seems to leave a review. Anyway, thanks to those fawesome people who left me three great reviews: Frosteh, rainbotash, Thebleachdiary! Here's your chapter. I hope you guys like it._

_P.S. I do not own Warriors--Erin Hunter does, got it?)_

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**Chapter 6: Seen (Wind2)**

"AHHH!" Cloudfrost yowled loudly, her jaws parted as she returned to panting; her tongue almost lolling out and her pale blue eyes unnaturally bright with pain.

"Sssh, it's all right. You're doing well." Petalfur tried to calm the quite young, light-colored she-cat, who was just beginning to kit....

She hoped she was doing well. She really did. So far, none of the queens she had helped kit had problems, but what if Cloudfrost did? Smokespots would be devastated—no, more than devastated, broken and lost.

Petalfur looked down at Cloudfrost silently, taking the sight of her in. Her normally perfectly groomed pale gray fur was in disarray, her sides were rounded and currently lurching, and her eyes were big, in confusion, pain, and slight fear. She wished she could calm her—give her a poppy seed or two, but she knew that would do much more harm than help.

***

Smokespots paced around outside of the Nursery, his claws kneading the earth every time he stopped and his brow creased with worry.

"Petalfur? Is everything okay?" he asked hopefully, peeking in for an instant.

"Yes, everything's fine," Petalfur meowed, stepping out of the Nursery just as he was leaning in closer.

His face heated up and he shuffled his paws.

"Go see your mate and kits," she mewed gently

Smokespots dashed into the Nursery, almost skidding to a halt in front of his mate, Cloudfrost, and the two kits at her belly.

"They're so beautiful," he mewed, sounding awed. Cloudfrost grinned up weakly at him, her tail flicking.

"The tom looks a lot like you," she meowed quietly, gazing down at her two kits. One was a she-cat with a light blue-gray, slightly fluffier pelt and the other was a tom with a smoky black pelt. They were both quite small, as they had been born sooner than expected, but the tom was slightly larger than the she-cat.

Smokespots purred. "They're perfect," he told his mate, nuzzling her ears.

***

Darkpelt crept forward through the underbrush, through the dense heather and patches of gorse. Her black fur stuck out in the grayish-brown world, but she'd long since mastered how to hide.

She slunk forward; steadily creeping up on a small rabbit poised a few fox-lengths away. She was careful to keep down-wind of it, and kept low to the ground; her ears flattened against her head and tall kept barely off the ground, completely stiff.

She watched the rabbit with curiosity. It seemed unaware of her, its flecked gray fur barely sticking out against the darker brown, dead heather it was crouched in front of.

Suddenly, its ears went up and it sprung away. She was faster, though. She quickly caught up with it and killed it with a swift bite to the throat....

***

"Thank you for the life of this prey," Darkpelt meowed softly, her eyes briefly flickering to the cloudless sky above her--where she could faintly see the moon, just a pale reflection of its usual state.

She gently grabbed the rather undersized rabbit in her jaws and started heading back for camp. She'd been hunting with Speckleface and her apprentice, Sandpaw, but neither cat could be seen. She figured they went to practice battle moves a little ways away from camp, instead of hunting. She almost rolled her eyes. They needed to be hunting, it was Leaf-bare and the prey was so scarce.

Suddenly, she heard a faint rustling in a clump of half-dead, brittle heather nearby. She froze instantaneously, her heart thumping in her chest.

"Speckleface? Sandpaw?" she asked hesitantly, her mew somewhat broken. She was terrified.

Suddenly, a heavy weight slammed into her from above. She let out a cry of pain as two heavy paws slammed into her back, claws sinking into her....

***

Speckleface looked up, her amber eyes round with worry. They darkened as she looked in the direction of that the pained yowl had come from. Another caterwaul shattered the still moor and a few birds took to the sky, frightened.

"That sounded like a cat," Sandpaw meowed softly, her eyes bright with worry and her otter-like tabby-striped tail swung back and forth agitatedly.

"Yes, it did." Speckleface frowned slightly, and then she looked side to side--unable to catch sight of Darkpelt.

That was rare, as Darkpelt's pure black pelt stood out almost as bad as a two-leg kit scrambling around on the moor--unless she tried really hard to be unseen.

"Do you think that was Darkpelt?" her apprentice asked her, her eyes shining worry.

She was pretty sure that Sandpaw was upset with herself for not knowing, too--because she was to be made a Warrior anytime now.

"It sounded more like the mew of a she-cat than a tom," Sandpaw stated, her claws sinking into the slightly boggy earth.

"Well, let's go see," Speckleface meowed hurriedly, seeing how worried Sandpaw was. "Come on, let's go. We should go check it out." She quickly dashed off, towards the sound, her long legs powering her over the mostly flat moorland with Sandpaw at her paws instantly.

She knew her older apprentice was scared that Darkpelt was being attacked, maybe by the murderer (or murderers). Speckleface herself was a little frightened, too. A senior warrior from ThunderClan, named Weedstem, had been killed....a warrior that was probably just as experienced as Darkpelt.

***

Kestrelfeather's head shot up as a yowl split the air. He had been guarding camp, alert and watchful. His ears went forward, slight fear prickling in his veins as the panicked yowl was followed by a defiant, yet pain-filled caterwaul. He quickly got to his paws, fur bristling slightly.  
His own apprentice, Willowpaw, padded up to him, abandoning her half-eaten rabbit that she had been sharing with Harepaw--who was also watching him with slight worry, his tail lashing along the ground with slight anxiety.  
She cocked her head, listening. No other caterwauls or yowls were heard. "That was odd," Willowpaw commented, her big, blue eyes slightly curious but not too fearful.

She didn't seem to understand fear very well, which scared him to no end. She didn't know when to stop in a battle....and she had rushed right into a border skirmish before, only leaving when he ordered her to.

"Yes, it was," he mewed softly, shaking his head a little. "Maybe I should tell Silverstar...."

He looked sideways at Longstep, a ragged-looking ginger tom with a dirty-white belly, an elder. Cloudfrost, a pale gray queen, had just had her kits as well--a lighter blue-gray she-cat and a smoky black tom. To think that a murderer was stalking the Clans....maybe trying to get into camp....and possibly succeeding, killing defenseless and innocent cats like Longstep or Cloudfrost, Bluekit, and Nightkit, made him shudder.

But, what if the murderer had attacked another cat already--one that was out hunting? That's when it hit him and he froze in fear. Darkpelt, Sandpaw, and Speckleface--HIS mate--had gone out hunting. Not HIS mate….

"Go tell Silverstar about this," he told Willowpaw, his mew calm and steady; even though he was already calculating how fast it would take for him to find his mate by scent and scared to death something would happen to her.  
The instant Willowpaw was out of sight, he told Rainpool to guard the entrance and exit to camp, and he bolted--already searching for Speckleface.

***

Sandpaw sighted Darkpelt, finally, her black pelt stark against the heather moor. The senior warrior was locked in battle with a GIANT tom.

Her eyes widened slightly, shocked at the fact Darkpelt was managing to hold her own. She froze, terrified as the tom looked up at her--his eyes a sickly-looking yellow that made her blood run cold.

He released Darkpelt, who flopped to the ground in exhaustion.

Maybe she hadn't been holding her own as well as she supposed….

Darkpelt blinked wearily, blood running down her face as her eyes closed. Oh, please great StarClan don't let her be dead....

The large, darker colored tom advanced slowly, almost silently stalking towards her--she was still frozen in place, petrified.

Then, she finally snapped out of it as Darkpelt let out a small whimper. She hissed, baring her teeth at the much larger tom, and arching her back--fur standing on end. She leapt at him before he could make the first move and sunk her claws into his shoulder, enraged that he would attack Darkpelt--without reason, while she was alone and unprotected. A coward's act!

The bigger tom snarled, eyes widening slightly in pain then flashing with anger, his yellowed teeth bared in a fierce grimace.

He brought his right paw down, claws unsheathed, on her head, forcing her to release her grasp on him and sending her falling to the ground. He tried to attack again, as she was in a pretty bad position, but Speckleface was suddenly there--slamming into his side, attacking him viciously with her claws and teeth.

Sandpaw managed to get back up to her paws and stumble over to Darkpelt, before standing over the now defenseless she-cat. She hissed and spat at the tom, wondering what she should do--join the fight again, or get help to make sure Darkpelt would be okay?

As she hesitated, Kestrelfeather came out of nowhere, pure rage in his eyes, and leapt at the tom that had just, in one brutal movement, slashed his claws down one side of Speckleface's face and neck.

Sandpaw gasped in shock, never having seen a cat try to kill another. She'd seen them fight, but never had they purposely tried to kill one another.

"YOU PIECE OF FOXDUNG! I'LL KILL YOU!" Kestrelfeather's brutal caterwaul rang through the air as he landed heavily on the tom's back, biting and clawing as the tom shrieked with pain.

It seemed like Kestrelfeather intended to follow through with his comment, as he had the tom by the scruff, his teeth so close to slicing into his throat it was plainly terrifying.

Sandpaw watched stuck in place once again and standing over the motionless Darkpelt, as Silverstar, Whitefrost, and Smokespots raced into view. As Kestrelfeather looked up, catching sight of them, the tom under him managed to slip away and bolted for it. Sandpaw managed to get unstuck again and raced after him, but along with Kestrelfeather she was too slow. The tom had gotten too much of a head start, even though they were faster, and his brownish-gray, mud-coated pelt had already blended in perfectly with the moorland....

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_(A/N: Should Darkpelt die? Should Speckleface be blind? Should Sandpaw be shell-shocked? I have no idea, drop me some ideas, eh? LOL. I'm fine with any imput--whether it be an email (I made up an fawesome fake name for my Fanfiction email, it's German), a PM, or a review--I love hearing from you guys. Oh, and Thebleachdiary, I will be thinking about your suggestions....as you can see, though, Moonwing isn't the killer. Or is she....? Hm. LOL. Maybe there's more than one....? *chuckles darkly* I have waaay too much fun....)_


	10. Chapter 8: A Mistake Shadow2

_A/N: __First things first, this chapter is from ShadowClan's POV....so, yeah. It doesn't exactly take off right from the other chapter, of course....and it leaves a whole new mystery for you guys to guess at. You'll have to wait and see what I mean...._

_And....okay, people, I have to know--does this suck majorly? I mean, the four reviews I've gotten have been good....but I've gotten so many hits and visits....-sighs- Oh, well, whatever. It's never stopped me from writing before. Just, um, if you read this please leave a review--it doesn't have to be long, maybe just a sentence or two long, just vote...._

_1. This Fanfic sucks and shouldn't be continued_

_2. This Fanfic is okay, so-so, but I'd like to see what else you do with it_

_or_

_3. This Fanfic is (f)awesome!_

_I doubt I'll get a 3, but, yeeeah...._

_Anyway, thanks SO MUCH to my latest reviewer: Moony. Her review was short, but it made my day! Of course, all reviews make my day....I'm pretty sure I'd probably even laugh if I got a flame. I know I'm going to ALWAYS keep trying to get reviews out of everyone, but, yeah. That's just me. I like praise--just like the rest of humanity. _

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**Chapter 8: A Mistake (ShadowClan2)**

Mossclaw sat up in the Warriors Den, his mottled gray fur in disarray. He yawned widely, and then licked down his ruffled shoulder fur. He got up to his paws finally, as he knew he was supposed to be on the dawn patrol along with Frostfang, Talonheart, and Blackpaw.

He shook the moss scraps out of his pelt and padded out into the dusky light of dawn, the sun hidden behind the dark forest with only the pinkish light touching the clouded-over black sky showing the signs of morning.

Suddenly, he froze--sensing he wasn't alone. His eyes were used to the pitch darkness of night, as he was a ShadowClan warrior and he was proud of the fact he could hunt better than any, say, ThunderClan warrior in the darkness.

He narrowed his eyes and looked around the clearing. Everything seemed fine with the dens deeper into camp, but the Warriors Den was the closest den to the bramble-covered entrance--and exit--of camp. He realized, with a sudden horror, that the newly named warriors Mousetooth and Duskpelt were nowhere to be seen.

He crouched down, his tail still and his ears pricked forward, and he watched the ferns sway softly in the breeze, the ferns dark gray in this light--untouched by sunlight.

His ears swiveled as he heard the sound of dried bracken and pine needles crunching under heavy paws. He was about to let out a loud caterwaul, waking the camp and letting them know of intruders when he felt a cat land heavily on them, knocking his breath out of him with a loud "ooof".

He immediately scented ThunderClan....

He rolled back to his feet and hissed quietly, taking deep, ragged breaths to make up for it. The cat he was now fighting was huge--broad-shoulder and flat-faced, a ThunderClan tom. Of course....

He couldn't remember who he was, but he could see his pelt was maybe light brown in daylight. The other tom snarled and swept his paw at his face, but he was smaller and faster and he dodged it--lashing out with his own paw and managed to slash him across the cheek. The tom spit at him, pure rage burning in his large, round eyes.

His ears went back, in slight fear. The tom was at least two times his size (as he had just been made a warrior less than a moon ago and was still growing)....his small size and quick feet wouldn't keep him from getting hurt for long....

***

Tigerpelt bolted out of the Warriors Den, hearing loud caterwauls and hisses. His back fur rose at the sight before him. Mossclaw was fighting a huge tom. Mossclaw's mottled gray fur was ragged and a gash was across his shoulder, his pale-colored fur stained with blood.

A growl rose in his throat, at the much larger--and older--tom attacking a small tom who was barely a warrior. He lunged at the ThunderClan warrior and grabbed him by the tail, yanking him away from the haggard Mossclaw.

The tom hissed and whirled around, eyes blazing with hatred. He brought a huge paw down, which barely missed his forehead. He felt his ear tear slightly and he winced, but just yanked harder on the tom's long, thick tail.

Mossclaw gave him a relieved look for an instant, and then was attacked by a smaller ThunderClan cat--a lithe she-cat, her pelt light tortoiseshell and still glossy in the faint light.

He went another sharp pain, this time in the jaw, and he forgot about Mossclaw; this time launching himself at the tom--that was even larger than him, actually. He clawed at the tom's face, viciously, stopping him from going any farther into camp. He didn't want any ThunderClan warrior making it to the Nursery....

***

Blackpaw streaked out into camp, straight into the chaos. Frostfang, Talonheart, Volefur, and Tigerpelt were already fighting ruthlessly, trying to drive the....ThunderClan warriors back out of camp. They were forcing them back to the wall of brambles, where the entrance and exit of camp was, just a small, thorny tunnel leading to the outside.

Mossclaw was also out there (and he was fighting a much larger, pure-white tom) as well as Russetpaw, whose reddish-brown colored tail was bristled with pure rage as she fought with another apprentice her size, and Scorchpaw, who had tried out the leap-and-hold move on a much larger she-cat.

All of the sudden, he was thrown off his feet--landing flat on his back. He let out a quiet, pained sound as he hit the ground hard.

A HUGE tom was standing over him, with a short, light brown pelt. He had a wide, flat face, with big, rounded eyes. He saw all this as the warrior stood over him, paw raised to strike his belly.

Great StarClan, what was he doing?! You didn't kill unless you had to!

With a vicious yowl, Duststripe (Mousetooth's old mentor), flung himself at the giant tom. He knocked him away, and then raked his claws down his side. He clumsily got up to his paws, staring wide eyed as Duststripe sent the other tom off; racing straight for the ThunderClan border and yowling loudly.

Duststripe was panting heavily, though, blood gushing from his shoulder and neck--claw marks raced along his pelt, showing off pink skin.

Oh, great StarClan....

***

Thornstar twitched slightly in his sleep. He was dreaming....and it was more of a nightmare than anything. He was trapped in a forest, dark as night, or darker, with no moon or Silverpelt in the sky. Only moss glowed sickly, and that was all that lit up this place. He could hear other cats in the thornbushes, and once caught sight of a huge brown tabby.

Finally, he stumbled out of this world of horror--into a place with four, giant and towering oaks. Fourtrees....

That's what clicked in his mind, from hearing the stories of elders--who, themselves, had maybe only caught sight of this place as kits, or apprentices.

He was in StarClan's hunting ground, now, he supposed. The other place, though....it seemed so horrible. The Place of No Stars, he supposed. The Dark Forest....

His pelt bristled in fear as to what THAT might mean. He hadn't done anything to deserve going there, had he? He'd never broken the Warrior Code, as far as he could tell....his pelt still remained ruffled, though, and his eyes were wide.

He had come to StarClan's hunting grounds when he'd gone to Moonpool, to receive his nine lives, but he'd never been alone....

He looked around, at the four towering trees and at the....Great Rock sitting in the middle. He padded up to it, his body slightly lower to the ground than normal, and his eyes still rounded with fear. He felt like he wasn't supposed to be here.

He glanced up at the Great Rock, its surface uneven and pale gray--almost silver in the blatant moonlight and the bright shine of the Silverpelt. Thank goodness for the light. How could any cat survive without it?

"Hello, Thornstar," a voice meowed calmly.

He whipped around, his fur bristling along his spine again and claws unsheathing. His fur laid flatter when he saw the tom. He still smelled of ShadowClan, even though he had passed on long ago. He somehow knew this.

"Hello," he mewed meekly back.

"It's nice to see you, Thornstar. I'm Nightpelt. You may have heard of me, maybe not." the tom meowed.

He looked him over--he was a strong-looking black tom, maybe a little old, though, maybe a senior warrior or elder when he died.

"Some called me Nightstar--but StarClan never gave me my nine lives," the tom, Nightpelt, added.

He nodded, but he was sort of confused. Why would StarClan not give a leader his nine lives, or star name?

"StarClan has a message for, you, though, Thornstar," Nightpelt meowed finally, seeing as he wasn't sure of what to say.

The black tom that looked vaguely like him sat down, tucking his tail neatly around his paws.

"W-w-what is it?" he asked, hating the way his mew was so unsteady and unsure.

Nightpelt gave him a sympathetic look. "I know it's hard on you--being a leader while you're so young. Firestar was a young leader, though, and think of all he did for the Clans."

He gulped and nodded briefly, looking down--his head dipped in respect for this tom, Nightpelt, who seemed to know so much about him.

"The message is: bound by death, twisted by blood, lost by fate: find the kin of the forgotten and the lake will be saved from horrors unseen by any cat....if they are willing to save it...." Nightpelt's eyes became unfocused as he spoke, and after he was done he shook his head--as if he were clearing it--and his claws unsheathed then re-sheathed.

He gulped loudly. That prophecy....it was so dark....so horrible.... He shivered a little, fearful. He had no idea what it meant either.

"I know you'll do well, Thornstar. We chose you for a reason--Raggedstar, Yellowfang, and I. Even Littlecloud helped. He was the one that saw it in the first place." Nightpelt meowed.

He knew those names. Raggedstar had been a good ShadowClan leader, Yellowfang had been Firestar's friend--a ShadowClan Medicine Cat that turned into a ThunderClan Medicine Cat when Brokenstar was in control, and Littlecloud was another well-known Medicine Cat, who stayed faithful even when Sol came.

"Really?" he asked his mew hesitant and soft.

Nightpelt purred a deep sound in his chest. "Yes, really."

Suddenly, Nightpelt's ears flicked and his eyes widened slightly. The vision flickered a little, slipping out of focus, and he heard a pain-filled caterwaul in the background.

"Wake up, Thornstar, and protect your Clan!"

***

Thornstar jerked awake, panting loudly and extremely disoriented. He stumbled up to his paws, his fur sticking out at odd angles and moss scraps clung to his ruffled pelt. His eyes were wide, filled with confusion and fear.

He heard another pain-filled screech; this time sounding like it came from a she-cat and not a tom. He hurriedly stumbled to the opening that led out of his den and raced out into the clearing, still trying to figure out what was going on.

He immediately scented ThunderClan and his nose wrinkled in disgust. He hissed quietly. Frostfang was fighting with a long-furred dark brown tabby tom--which was as big as him, Talonheart was locked in battle with a huge white tom, and Whitefall was fighting off a light tortoiseshell. He snarled and launched himself at the nearest ThunderClan warrior, seeing as his Clanmates didn't seem to need his help.

He clawed feverishly at the pale gray she-cat he'd landed on and she hissed back at him, her white fangs gleaming in the early dawn sunlight. She managed to get a firm hold on his paw, her teeth clamping down on him. He let out a loud caterwaul, more of a yowl really. She just bit down harder. He brought up his other paw and brought it down in a fierce blow on her head, and she released him, dazed....

***

Volefur growled loudly as an apprentice tried to sneak past him. He pounced on the smaller, brown tabby she-cat and she spat, her amber eyes filled with anger. She writhed underneath his hold but he figured he had her taken care of. Well, that was until the huge, thick-pelted gray tom who was the ThunderClan leader, Ashstar, threw him off.

"Leave the apprentices alone, you piece of fox dung!" he snarled in his face, eyes blazing. Volefur hissed at him.

"Maybe I would if they weren't trying to sneak into the Medicine Cat Den!" he snapped, struggling wildly under Ashstar's firm grip. Ashstar just glared at him, so much anger in his eyes it scared him.

"We have to teach you a lesson for stealing prey and wounding one of our apprentices," Ashstar meowed, his mew dead calm, but something in his eyes....it scared Volefur, badly.

"What do you mean?! ShadowClan has done nothing!" Volefur yowled pitifully, gasping loudly as Ashstar's claws bit into his shoulders, tearing through his fur and his skin, ripping until blood pooled under his paws.

Ashstar blinked, finally getting off him. It was like he'd finally realized he'd been so close....to killing him. If his paws had been on his throat....

He swallowed hard and considered himself lucky.

***

Mothflight's eyes widened as she saw a tom, a huge tom with a dark brown tabby pelt fell into the Nursery, accidentally landing on Hollykit--who had crept too far away. She hissed at him, eyes blazing with pure fury.

His eyes widened when he realized his mistake, but Hollykit's whimpers could still be heard and they sent her into a blind rage.

She attacked him viciously, forcing him out of the Nursery. He fought back, without a thought--his training showing through, and not the realization he was fighting a nursing queen. He clawed at her violently, until the side she had to him been torn, her fur matted with blood.

Horror was all over his features again. She could tell he'd just been caught up in the fight, but as she slumped down to the ground....her vision blackening....she couldn't think of anything to do, or say....

He just gaped at her, eyes wide with fear and jaw clenched with self-hatred. He looked down at Hollykit, who was still whimpering pathetically--hidden behind Sootkit, who was hissing bravely at the much larger warrior.

Then everything slipped away....the last thing she saw was the horrified look on Frostfang's face as he saw her and Shadowshine leaping at the warrior, due any time now, trying to shove him out of the Nursery. He sides were twitching and she knew that her kits were coming soon....oh, great StarClan....

***

Shadespring hissed loudly, as the last ThunderClan warrior, Raggedfur, and their leader, Ashstar left.

She had so much to do now--and no apprentice to help her.

Thornstar had hurriedly jumped up on the large, smooth-barked branch that hung over his den--an ancient, stunted oak in a clearing filled with pines.

"All cats," he meowed commandingly, "if you are injured badly, go see Shadespring immediately; those cats too hurt to take themselves there ask another warrior to help you."

Shadespring felt rather proud, under the haze of fear and panic, for her leader. He was young, but he knew what he was doing--or, well, he could make it seem that way to the other cats.

She let out a small gasp, inaudibly, when Frostfang dragged in Mothflight, Talonheart gently helping him carry her in by her scruff. Her fur was patchy and ripped up along her left side, with blood staining her light brown fur--some of it was even dried at this point. Her eyes were closed, as she seemed to be passed out, and her breath was shallow.

"Please," Frostfang mewed pleadingly, eyes wide and looking pitiful, "please fix her."

She blinked and quickly jumped up. "Okay, lay her down on a moss nest in my den," she ordered the two toms and dashed into her den, deeper--looking for the herbs she needed.

She quickly grabbed cobwebs, to stop the bleeding; dock, to soothe the scratches; marigold, to prevent infection; goldenrod, to heal the wound; and coltsfoot to help with Mothflight's short breath.

She quickly dashed back to the cats. Talonheart was standing protectively over Mothflight's prone body and Frostfang was pacing, his eyes wild.

She gave a soft sigh and Talonheart looked up. "Chew up the marigold leaves," she ordered, putting them down in front of them. He nodded simply and settled down, doing as she said. She quickly chewed up the dock leaves, the goldenrod, and coltsfoot leaves. She gently piled up the poultice Talonheart and she had made and applied it to Mothflight's wounds, very gently. She took the coltsfood she had kept separate and gently put it aside, farther away. She would give it to Mothflight when she woke up….if she woke up….

Frostfang finally laid down, his shoulders shaking in silent sobs. She knew the deputy had fallen hard in love with Mothflight and that they were two of the closest mates she'd ever seen. She felt pity stir in her heart for Frostfang, and she just worked quicker. Soon, she had Mothflight's side cleaned up and wrapped in cobwebs. She nodded to Talonheart, a thankful look on her face, and he just dipped his head in respect for her.

"If you'd like to, you could stay and help," she mewed to him gently. His eyes lit up a little and he nodded to her.

"I'd like to," he meowed calmly.

"W-w-will she be okay?" Frostfang asked her finally, his blue eyes wide with fear and pain.

She just shrugged her shoulders simply. "She rests in the paws of StarClan now," she mewed softly. Frostfang's eyes widened a little more and he crept over to Mothflight, burying his muzzle in her fur.

She sighed softly--she knew someone should be with their kits, but she knew Frostfang would only upset them more, acting the way he was.

"Who's next?" she asked, finally, looking at the dark brown tabby tom that was Talonheart.

"Duststripe." Talonheart nodded to the tom, who was being supported by Blackpaw and Patchpaw. Shadespring's eyes widened and she immediately went to work.

She applied goldenrod along his horrible scratches, where another warrior must've raked her o his claws along his neck and shoulder. She carefully applied chewed up dock leaves to the wound, then placed cobwebs over the whole thing.

"Let him rest now," she meowed to the fierce-looking Patchpaw, who had blood mingled in his white-and-black fur, and the trembling Blackpaw, who was larger but seemed stunned. The two apprentices helped him limp over, and laid him down in a moss nest.

Shadespring sighed softly. "Now who?" she asked, again.

"Volefur," he meowed simply, "Ashstar tore out a few chunks of his fur, along his shoulders. And Then Duskpelt and Mousetooth--they're hurt badly, too; they were ambushed. Mossclaw has a pretty nasty cut on his shoulder, too."

Talonheart suddenly gulped. "But....Shadespring? Can you....can you please tend to my mate, Shadowshine? She's kitting."

Shadespring blinked in shock. So Talonheart was the father....everyone had thought a loner, or rogue, was responsible for Shadowshine expecting kits....maybe even a tom from another Clan....or a kittypet....

Why had she hidden the fact Talonheart was the father....?

* * *

_A/N: Okaaay, so maybe more than one question that needs answering....oh, well, this is why this Fanfic has "mystery" as a genre. Oh, and side note: I am toying with three other Warriors Fanfic ideas. If you'd like, I can outline them in the next chapter. Or, if you'd like, you may PM me, or send me a review, with names for the allegiances. One would be based in SkyClan, another in the Tribe of Rushing Water, and another in the four main Clans--ThunderClan, ShadowClan, WindClan, and RiverClan, but would be written more like the first three arcs than my own unique writing style. Hopefully...._

_R&R?_


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